If God Has Such Great Power, Why Does He Allow Space for Exercising Agency?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Isaiah 40-49 in a lesson titled “Comfort Ye My People.” The following information introduced the lesson. 

“Comfort” is the first word of Isaiah chapter 40. It marks the beginning of a different tone, a different emphasis in the prophet’s message. Isaiah’s earlier writings warned Israel and Judah about destruction and captivity that would come because of their sins. But these later prophecies were meant to comfort the Jewish people over 150 years in the future – after Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and the people were taken captive by Babylon. These prophecies, however, reach even further into the future than to the defeated, disheartened Israelites. They speak to us, who also sometimes feel defeated, disheartened, and even lost.

Isaiah’s message to his people and to us is simple: “Fear not” (Isaiah 43:1). All is not lost. The Lord has not forgotten you, and He has power over situations that seem out of your control. Isn’t the Lord, who “created the heavens” (Isaiah 42:5), more powerful than Babylon, than sin, than whatever is holding you captive? “Return unto me,” He pleads, “for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:22). He can heal, restore, strengthen, forgive, and comfort – whatever is needed for you, in your case, to be redeemed.

This week’s reading teaches numerous principles. There are four considered in the lesson: (1) Jesus Christ can comfort me and give me hope (Isaiah 40-49). (2) “Thou art my servant” (Isaiah 40-49). (3) God’s power is greater than worldly power (Isaiah 40:3-8, 15-23; 42:15-16; 47:7-11). (4) The Lord can refine me through my afflictions (Isaiah 48:10; 49:13-16). This essay will discuss principle #3 about God’s power being greater than worldly power.

Our world has witnessed worldly power over the last eight months during the bombing of Iran by American forces. The world of Isaiah was less explosive, but it too had political intrigue and power.

3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity….

21 Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tend to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

In the above verses, Isaiah describes God’s power and worldly power. He repeatedly reminded his people of God’s matchless power, even compared to the oppressive worldly power that surround them. God’s power is always stronger than worldly power.

In his article, Anthony Sweat describes how the power of Jesus Christ can strengthen us every single day. The article begins, “While our daily challenges may vary in type, intensity, and frequency, there seem to be three general areas in which we can seek and receive divine help in our lives. The strengthening power of Christ is designed and available for all three of these types of daily tests.” 

1. Strength to Meet Trials and Challenges

Although often unspoken or unknown to others, daily burdens are borne by all people. “In the quiet heart is hidden / Sorrow that the eye can’t see” isn’t just beautiful poetry, it’s painfully accurate too. Some face daily challenges related to work and finances, while others need help in their marriages and families. Some are tested daily through a physical disability or persistent pain. While we are sure to experience difficulty in life, one of the promises in scripture is that, regardless of the source of our trial, Christ can give us strength to meet and successfully bear our burdens….

Because of mortality and human agency, sometimes God won’t change circumstances to relieve a burden. When God can’t or won’t change an external circumstance, however, he can and will change our internal workings to successfully meet the challenge, if we let him. He often does this by making our burdens feel lighter through divine spiritual gifts that expand our perspective, empower our understanding, alter our attitude, and provide patience, comfort, and peace.

2. Strength to Resist Temptation and Overcome Sin

A second aspect of divine strength we can receive is power to resist temptations and overcome sin. This is different than cleansing and healing from sin and transgression; this is a protective power to “suffer us not to be led into temptation” (JST, Matthew 6:13).

Masterful paintings that have been damaged often go through a careful process of cleansing years of dirt and dust buildup, healing rips in the canvas and breaks in the frame, and restoring lost pigment. That is not all, however. There is also an extensive conservation aspect of the cleansed, healed, and restored art: The curators add layers of protective varnish, control temperature and natural light exposure, install security warning systems, and go to great lengths to shield the artwork from future damage. Similarly, Jesus not only cleanses, heals, and restores us from the damaging effects of sin, but his grace also grants daily power to guard and protect us against future damaging disobedience. This strengthening power enables us to resist partaking of “the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1) as Paul said….

3. Strength to Do Good Works

A third aspect of the strengthening power of Christ is a power that is given to us to do good works beyond our natural capacities. It is a power granted to do miracles, in every sense of the word (see Alma 26:12). The Bible Dictionary teaches: “It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ .. receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means.”

This gift to do and be good beyond our natural capacity is perhaps most evident in church callings and assignments. Ironically, or perhaps purposefully, most of us are called to serve in church positions for which we are utterly unqualified….

With regard to our church callings, however, the ever-quotable Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.” …

Each week in wards across the earth, the strengthening power of Christ is manifest in millions of persons performing and doing good works beyond their natural capacity as the Lord qualifies them through endowment of his enabling grace.

           Beyond callings, the strengthening power of Christ is available for any worthy work we might                 undertake: whether doctor or dentist, scientist or researcher, teacher or student, artist or                           entertainer, businessperson or construction worker, athlete or mathlete. Above all, divine strength            to do good works is given for the daily, eternally important work of families: to spouses, parents,           and children, each of whom is striving to perform a work beyond their natural capacities…. 

Why Are Bachelors Increasing in America?

Married adults tend to be happier and have happier families, and happy families are stronger families. Strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations. These statistics illustrate a problem that is growing.

In her article published in the Deseret News, Reagan Campbell reports that there are more bachelors in America in 2025 than there were in 2000. 

More American men remain bachelors than ever before. The Institute for Family Studies found that in 2025 there were 30.4 million single men ages 18 to 39. This is a stark contrast to the 20.7 million single men in 2000.

IFS said married adults generally report being happier than those who are unmarried and the “number of young men forgoing marriage could be adding to the happiness crash now unfolding among young adults across America.”

Brad Wilcox, an IFS fellow, noted “it’s never good for a society to have large numbers of unattached, dispirited and unhappy young men.” …

What’s driving the decline?

Wilcox believes the cause of the declining marriage rate is the “addiction economy” and that it “is a failure of social responsibility.” He calls out addictive electronics, unchallenging schools and no vision of masculinity as reasons for this.

He cites a Deseret News article “Who is to blame for the decline in ‘marriageable’ men?” written by Wilcox, Maria Baer and Jason Carroll. They called out easy access to online pornography as another explanation for the high rate of single men. “Young men (22-35) who are frequent porn users are about twice as likely to say that they avoid committing in dating relationships,” the article says.

The results? Young adults are less happy, specifically unmarried young adults. IFS said, “From 2010 to 2024, happiness among married young adults fell from 94% to 90%, compared to a decline from 82% to 68% among unmarried young adults.”

Campbell’s article quotes two statements made by Wilcox on X. The first is “We have a generation of young men [ages 18-29] trapped in the “addiction economy” – and the numbers are stagging: [1] 1-in-8 use porn, gamble & game daily. [2] Almost 1-in-4 gamble daily. [3] 1-in-4+ use porn daily.” The second is as follows:

So why are so many young men trapped in the “addiction economy”? A big part of the story: our core institutions and culture have failed them: [1] Too many homes w/o engaged fathers. [2] Schools that don’t engage or challenge them. [3} Big Tech hooking them on electronic opiates. [4] Shrinking opportunity in the marketplace – worsened by recent discrimination. [5] No clear, compelling, prosocial vision of masculinity. This is a failure of social responsibility re: how we raise, educate, and inspire young men. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we make young men without chests and wonder why they lack virtue and enterprise.

The article also reports statistics from the BYU student body: “Of BYU’s student body, 17% are married, more than double the national average for married students in the United States.” However, that percentage is down from 25% in 2021. BYU responded by creating “frequent Date Night events to encourage students to date. These events are held on campus, free of charge and include a variety of activities.” BYU also encourages students to “remove your earbuds on campus” and interact with other students.

How Much Voter Fraud Happened?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns voter integrity, particularly election interference and illegal voting in federal elections. According to an article published in The Daily Signal, Rebecca Buis reported irregularity in several states. 

Twenty-eight individuals in 12 different states have been charged with election interference or illegal voting in federal elections in the past two weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice says. The effort to root out illegal, noncitizen voting has come as part of a large-scale move by the Trump administration to ensure election integrity prior to this year’s midterm elections.

This effort has extended to different states across the nation. On Monday, the DOJ announced charges against 12 individuals relating to election crimes committed in seven different states. This comes after the department, on Sept. 18, announced charges against 16 individuals, including three in Georgia, for illegal voting.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security commented on the partnership with the DOJ to root out election fraud across the country.

“DHS and DOJ are laser-focused on prosecuting and removing aliens who vote and preventing the dilution of the votes of U.S. citizens,” the DHS spokesperson told the Daily Signal. “Only Americans should elect American leaders.”

“Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: We will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences – including criminal charges and deportation.”

While investigations continue to root out election fraud, officials at the DOJ say the 28 individuals come from various countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more.

Noncitizens across the nation have been charged with voting in elections, submitting voter registration applications, or election interference, the DOJ says. Some even voted multiple times. Three noncitizens from Antigua and Barbuda, Mexico, and Venezuela living in Georgia were charged with illegal voting in elections, the DOJ recently announced….

The scope of this interference in Georgia cannot be ignored, as the DOJ said individuals residing in Florida, Texas, Utah, and nine other states have been charged with these crimes, including multiple guilty pleas.

While some of the individuals involved were illegal aliens and some were only suspected noncitizens, or even lawful permanent residents, these crimes have not only involved noncitizens voting but also have expanded to additional crimes – such as untrue statements on citizenship applications and the suspected removal of roughly 300 mail-in ballots by a former mail carrier….

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Atonement of Jesus Christ? 4

Article of Faith 3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,

by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

This is the fourth essay about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as stated in the third Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first week, I discussed the importance of understanding how the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as the third pillar of eternity, is essential to Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children. The second week, the discussion was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the nature of the atonement. Last week, the discussion concerned the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a vicarious sacrifice. This week, the discussion will be about Christ’s sacrifice being voluntary and love-inspired, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (Articles of Faith [1913], 79-81).

Christ’s Sacrifice Was Voluntary and Love-Inspired – We have noted in passing that Christ gave His life willingly and voluntarily for the redemption of mankind. He had offered Himself, in the primeval council in heaven, as the subject of the atoning sacrifice made necessary by the foreseen transgression of the first man; and the free agency shown and exercised in this, the early stage of His saving mission, was retained to the very last of the agonizing fulfilment of the accepted plan. Though He lived on earth a man in every particular that concerns us in our regard for Him as an example of godliness in humanity, yet it is to be remembered that, though born of a mortal mother, he was begotten in the flesh by an immortal Father; and so combined within His being the capacity to die, and the power to hold death indefinitely in abeyance. He gave up His life; it was not taken from Him against His will. Note the significance of His own declaration: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” On another occasion Jesus testified of Himself in this way: “For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.” Amidst the tragic scenes of the betrayal, when one who had been a professed follower and friend gave Him with a traitorous kiss to His persecutors, and when Peter, with a rashness prompted by personal zeal, drew and used the sword in His defense, the Master said: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” And on to the bitter end, marked by the expiring though triumphant cry “It is finished,” the incarnated God held in subjection within Himself the power to thwart His torturers had He so willed.

The motive inspiring and sustaining Him through all the scenes of His mission, from the time of His primeval ordination to the moment of victorious consummation on the cross, was twofold: first, the desire to do His Father’s will in accomplishing the redemption of mankind; second, His love for humanity, of whose welfare and destiny He had assumed charge. [Emphasis added.] Far from cherishing the least feeling of vindictiveness against those who put Him to death. He entertained for them compassion to the last. Hear Him in the hour of extreme agony, praying aloud: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Not less is the Father’s love, as shown by His accepting the Son’s offer and permitting Him whom He delighted to call His Beloved to suffer as only a God could suffer: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” Further, we hear the teaching of the apostle, whom the Savior loved so well: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

  

What Did Supreme Court Decide about Program to Verify Citizenship?

The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Friday that the Department of Homeland Security could continue its program to verify citizenship. According to Fred Lucas at The Daily Signal, the shadow docket ruling was 6-3 in the case of DHS v. League of Women Voters allowing “the Trump administration to expand the program that allows states to use Social Security records and other information to check voters’ citizenship status.” 

“By prohibiting interference with the disclosure of information regarding citizenship status to DHS – ‘notwithstanding any other provision of Federal, State, or local law’ – Congress necessarily authorized DHS to request and receive that information,” the majority opinion says.

The three liberals, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented.

The majority held that a 1996 federal law banning noncitizen voting likely authorizes DHS to obtain citizenship information from other agencies, including state agencies.

A shadow docket ruling is a Supreme Court order, often issued on an expedited basis without full oral arguments.

“In 1996, Congress, however, separately and expressly authorized DHS to request and receive information relating to citizenship and immigration status from other agencies, including SSA, in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (HRIRA),” the majority opinion says.

Plaintiffs, led by the League of Women Voters, argued this could violate privacy rights. They also argued that the SAVE database, short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, is unreliable and risks purging eligible voters.

In June, U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan of the District of Columbia ruled that a portion of President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order on election integrity was unlawful.

Earlier this month, a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel denied the administration’s motion to stay the district court ruling pending appeal in a 2-1 ruling.

The case centered on a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to expand the SAVE database. The expansion allowed agencies to search individuals using Social Security numbers, aggregate large amounts of data, and function as a citizenship verification tool to screen voter eligibility.

 

Who Is Nick Freitas?

My VIP for this week is Nick Freitas who is documenting the decline of the American identity. In his article, Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of The Daily Signal, reports on Freitas’ documentary. 

For his documentary, Freitas traveled to Britain where he documents the transformation there, “driven by decades of mass Muslim migration and a political class unwilling to demand assimilation.” He claims that Americans ignore the transformation of Britain “at their own peril.” The following information comes from Bluey’s article.

Asked how a nation is demoralized and destabilized, Freitas has a simple answer.

“In the simplest terms, you give it an identity crisis,” he told me. “And I think we’re suffering that in the West in general, and we’re starting to see it become a significant problem in the United States.”

A Clash of Worldviews

Freitas embarked on the project because he cares deeply about his own country’s future. He decided to visit Britain given its shared heritage with the United States.

In the United Kingdom, mass migration from Muslim countries has tested the country’s traditions and reshaped its culture.

“I’m not talking about difference in dress or festivals or food,” Freitas said. “I’m talking about diametrically opposed views on the fundamental components of what builds a high-trust society.”

Those components, he explained, are political, social, theological, and economic. When migrants arrive with “no genuine interest in assimilating,” he warned, the result is “ultimately destructive.”

Nowhere is that clearer than in Britain’s grooming gang scandal, the film’s most heart-wrenching segment. Freitas said the overwhelming majority of the men who organized the abuse were Pakistani. Yet British police were reluctant to pursue them because they feared being called Islamophobic.

“That should just absolutely baffle us,” Freitas said. “But on the other side, we should start to recognize how far America has gone down this path.”

What Americans Can Do

In its promotion of the film, Heritage is blunt about the stakes: What mass Islamic immigration did to Britain could happen here if Americans don’t act now.

Freitas said America can change course, and he believes it starts close to home. His advice: Vote in primaries, where he estimates only 7% to 8% of voters participate. And parents shouldn’t assume their local public school reflects their values, even in a conservative community with good teachers.

“The teachers don’t select the curriculum,” he said.

Instead, Freitas urges parents to teach their kids the real history of the United States, ensuring they pass that inheritance to the next generation. That, he said, is the surest way our country doesn’t follow the Britain’s path….

The film’s message ultimately comes down to Freitas’ plea to value “the truth over comfort.” Britain didn’t. America still can.

 

 

Is Congress Checking Trump?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns the separation of powers outlined by the U.S. Constitution between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Pundits say that President Donald Trump rolled over Congress. James Curry, professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in Congress and U.S. policymaking, thinks the story is wrong. 

Curry shared the following thoughts on the topic in an article published in the Deseret News. He suggests that Americans should look past the headlines to see a different picture and gives three examples to show how the legislative branch is checking the executive branch.

1. Pushing back on nominees

Consider the president’s efforts to reshape the executive branch. In 2025, while Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts dominated the news, the Republican-led Senate was quietly blocking a record number of the president’s nominees. There were no dramatic floor votes. The nominations simply sat until the White House gave up and pulled them.

Trump withdrew 57 executive branch nominations in 2025… Every withdrawn nomination is a fight the president lost without anyone seeing a punch thrown.

2. Pushing back on mass layoffs

Congress also put a halt to the aggressive workforce reductions that characterized the first several months of the second Trump administration. Through layoffs, buyouts and early retirements, the administration pushed out more than 200,000 federal employees in the first 10 months of 2025.

Then Congress stepped in. The November 2025 bill ending the longest government shutdown in American history barred agencies from any further mass layoffs while it was in effect, and lawmakers have kept up that pressure in legislation since.

By March 2026, the government was hiring again, bringing back workers who had left and restaffing agencies that had been gutted. The exceptions tell the story. USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting stayed dead because Congress itself voted to kill them.

3. Pushing back on aggressive spending cuts

Congress has also done more to push back on the Trump administration’s efforts to unilaterally slash federal spending than it may seem. In 2025, the administration cut funding for science and health research, foreign aid, clean energy, and more.

Through the appropriations process, however, Congress has put much of it back. Despite DOGE, federal spending actually rose from 2024 to 2025, and most programs are funded at roughly Biden-era levels.

The cuts that stuck are mostly the ones Congress approved. That is exactly how the Constitution says spending decisions should be made.

Congress has moved to check President Donald Trump in other ways as well. It put an end to the president’s $1.8 billion “weaponization” fund, which would have funneled money to his political allies. Democratic and Republican senators refused to back Trump’s SAVE Act, which would have allowed the Trump administration unprecedented influence over who can and cannot vote in federal elections. And this summer, Congress passed the largest housing affordability bill in decades with broad bipartisan support, despite opposition from President Donald Trump.

Curry explained that the pushback goes unnoticed because “presidents and Congress move at different speeds. A president can act with the stroke of a pen. Congress has 535 members, two chambers and no single voice. It acts by holding coalitions and passing laws, which takes months, sometimes years.”

Curry continued by explaining that the president has weeks, months, or years to push his plan before Congress responds, and the topic is already old news. “But those slow, quiet moves are the system working as designed. The separation of powers was never meant to be an alarm with tripwires. Congress responds through legislation, and it responds in proportion to what voters demand.” He stated that the “system is alive and well. We just have to know where to look.”