Rebellion

Rebellion is “the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention.” Let’s face it, we all have a little rebellion within us. It’s natural to feel this way. In “Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion“, Elder D. Todd Christofferson states, “May we bury – very, very deep – any element of rebellion against God in our lives and replace it with a willing heart and a willing mind.”

What Is Rebellion Against God?

Before we can rebel against God, we must have a witness and an understanding of what God intends for us. We must know for ourselves what His plan is and how we are to live. Only then can we rebel against it.

Assuming we know God’s will and have accepted that it has been revealed to us, we can choose to align with it or rebel against it. I believe there are two ways in which we can rebel against God, publicly, and privately.

Public rebellion is easy to see. It is when one publicly shows their willingness to disobey the commandments and to call out the “injustice” of them. A lot of times it’s manifest in the mocking of those commandments. If you go to any social media platform, you will probably see this on the “For You” timeline. Public rebellion, “rejects religious authority, characterizing ordinances and covenants as performances ‘laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority.’”

Private rebellion is not easy to see. I believe that it’s a part of all of us. I know that I have my private rebellions. The times when I really don’t want to do what I should. I put what I want ahead of what God’s will and plan is. I think to myself, “It’s ok if I do this as it won’t affect anyone but I, and I will be satisfied.”

In reality, I’m fooling myself. This rebellious spirit within me is just selfishness manifest. After a little self-reflection, I realize that I have gone against God’s will and need to repent.

But What About Agency?

The question that comes to mind next is, “What about my agency?” “Don’t I have the right to choose what I want?” The short answer is, “Yes, you have your agency and you can choose. However, you cannot choose what the consequences of your choices are.” God has decreed His law and when we choose to rebel, there are consequences. Thank God there is repentance. Otherwise, our rebellions would condemn us to live outside of His presence and leave us in misery. The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes repentance possible and we all need to take advantage of His sacrifice.

How Do We “Bury Our Weapons of Rebellion?”

Elder Christofferson answers this question as follows, “In the end, burying our weapons of rebellion against God simply means yielding to the enticing of the Holy Spirit, putting off the natural man, and becoming ‘a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.’”

Sounds easy right? Personal experience tells me it is not. I like to do what I want to do. I don’t always like feeling I have to do something else. It’s normal. But how do you overcome those feelings?

I’ve come to realize that prayer is my answer. I do really well with reading my scriptures. It might be obvious that I study the General conference talks. I serve in my calling and try to magnify it to the best of my abilities. All these things are good, but in order to “bury my weapons of rebellion”, I need to have a close, personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. The best way to do that is through communication. Prayer, therefore, is the key to burying my rebellion.

Why do I think that prayer is the key to burying my rebellion? It’s because of the one-on-one nature of prayer. The best way to understand someone is to have personal communication with them. When you have a discussion with someone, you learn about them. The interaction gives both parties the chance to express themselves.

In the case of prayer, I can express my thoughts and feelings to God. He in turn can help me with my weaknesses. Those weaknesses include my rebellions. God has the chance to explain why His will is something I should align with. As this occurs, the truth of His will is also conveyed through the power of the Holy Ghost. The combination of the two provides an incontrovertible witness.

After prayer, the choice is still mine on whether I will align with His will, or keep to my own. It’s easy to align right after a spiritual experience. However, over time the feeling that accompanies a spiritual experience can fade. This is why we have been asked to pray often, sometimes night and day. Prayer can keep us close to God and have a continual spiritual experience.

The Reward

Elder Christofferson states, “Burying our weapons of rebellion leads to a unique joy. With all who have ever become converted to the Lord, we are ‘brought to sing [the song of] redeeming love.’” The feeling of peace and joy that accompanies our alignment with God’s will unburdens us. Contrary the guilt that is tied to rebellion can make us feel chained down and “heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28).

Conclusion

Each of us has a little rebellion in us. It’s a natural part of being human. We can show this rebellion publicly and/or privately. Most of us rebel in private. We don’t want to align our will with God’s all the time. However, if we can develop a personal relationship with God and Christ through prayer we can understand why God’s will is as it is. When that understanding happens, we are more inclined to not rebel and align with God.