The Real Power Move: Yielding Our Will to the Spirit

Brothers and sisters, friends in the gospel, if there’s one thing I’ve learned on this journey—whether I’m in the MTC, serving in a stake center, or just wrestling with a tough question during a missionary discussion—it’s that the biggest spiritual battles aren't won by sheer willpower. They’re won by surrender.

We are so often taught the reactive approach: *Don't let this happen! Fight this temptation! Resist that thought!* We read the scriptures, we study the plan of salvation, and we feel that righteous fire to stand up against the darkness. And that fight is noble. It comes from a place of deep love for the Savior.

But sometimes, after years of trying to muscle through, of fighting the good fight with all our own strength, we realize we've been focusing on the wrong half of the equation. We’ve been trying to *force* the enemy out, when perhaps we need to focus on inviting the Savior *in*.

The Trap of Willpower

I recently spent time reflecting on some powerful talks, and one passage kept ringing true: the difference between resisting the enemy and yielding to the Father. We are naturally inclined to be self-sufficient. We think, "I will not let this affect me. I will keep my covenants. I will be strong enough." And while preparation is everything—and I encourage everyone to keep up with their mission prep—there’s a spiritual muscle that gets overdeveloped when we only focus on *resistance*.

We tend to quote the second half of the counsel: "And if we resist ye, he will flee from us." It sounds so empowering! It sounds like a battle cry! But the full counsel, the one that changes everything, starts with: "Therefore subdue your will unto God."

This isn't about being passive, folks. This is the ultimate spiritual *technique*. It’s the proactive choice to say, "Father, I don't know the best way through this week, or through this calling, or through this relationship. I trust your process more than I trust my own frantic efforts."

When we try to fight the enemy while holding tightly to our own agenda—our *wants*, our *thoughts*, our *feelings*—we are essentially giving the enemy leverage. We are creating the very friction point he wants us to focus on. He wants us worried about what we *don't* want, or what we *can't* have.

The Strength in Submitting

The real power move, the one that actually flips the script, is to actively, joyfully, and intentionally submit our will. It means choosing to enjoy the *process* of discipleship, not just the destination. It means finding the joy in the daily covenant keeping, even when the calls are tough or the revelations are slow.

This is where the Spirit whispers, and this is where the Iron Rod authors shine. They teach us that the Lord doesn't show us everything at once. He works in stages. He lets us work on one area—maybe it's consistency in scripture study, or maybe it's learning to listen better in a family setting—and then He gives us a little rest before moving to the next. We have to trust the pace.

If you feel yourself getting bogged down in the *fight* against a specific sin or challenge, I want you to pivot your focus. Instead of asking, "How do I *beat* this?" ask, "How can I *yield* this to the Savior right now?"

It’s a shift from the battlefield to the altar. It’s a shift from the *doing* to the *being*.

This principle applies everywhere—in our temple covenants, in our interactions with our neighbors, and absolutely in our efforts to be internet missionaries. We can't control the world, but we can control our immediate response, and that response is best governed by yielding.

If this resonated with you, I encourage you to spend some time digging into the concepts of divine will versus human will. For a deeper dive into these principles, check out the LivingBook and explore the Social Scripture Study layer on a passage about obedience. If you want to talk through how this applies to a specific area of your life—maybe a challenging family dynamic or a tough question you anticipate in your future missionary discussions—I invite you to connect with me or join a local Book Club in HolyPlaces. Let's discuss this together.

Remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Let's make our strength come from Him, today and always.