Why do you think it strengthens us spiritually when we make righteous decisions on our own, rather than waiting for God to tell us every step to take?
"Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, on the bank of the Missouri River at Chariton, Missouri, August 13, 1831. On this day the Prophet and his group, who were on their way from Independence to Kirtland, met several elders who were on their way to the land of Zion, and, after joyful salutations, received this revelation.
1–3, Testimonies are recorded in heaven; 4–9, The elders are to travel and preach according to judgment and as directed by the Spirit.
1 Behold, and hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.
2 And verily mine eyes are upon those who have not as yet gone up unto the land of Zion; wherefore your mission is not yet full.
3 Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.
4 And now continue your journey. Assemble yourselves upon the land of Zion; and hold a meeting and rejoice together, and offer a sacrament unto the Most High.
5 And then you may return to bear record, yea, even altogether, or two by two, as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me; only be faithful, and declare glad tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, or among the congregations of the wicked.
6 Behold, I, the Lord, have brought you together that the promise might be fulfilled, that the faithful among you should be preserved and rejoice together in the land of Missouri. I, the Lord, promise the faithful and cannot lie.
7 I, the Lord, am willing, if any among you desire to ride upon horses, or upon mules, or in chariots, he shall receive this blessing, if he receive it from the hand of the Lord, with a thankful heart in all things.
8 These things remain with you to do according to judgment and the directions of the Spirit.
9 Behold, the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 62)
"5 But, verily, I will speak unto you concerning your journey unto the land from whence you came. Let there be a craft made, or bought, as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me, and take your journey speedily for the place which is called St. Louis." (Doctrine and Covenants 60: 5)
"22 And it mattereth not unto me, after a little, if it so be that they fill their mission, whether they go by water or by land; let this be as it is made known unto them according to their judgments hereafter." (Doctrine and Covenants 61: 22)
"18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.
19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.
20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.
21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.
22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?
23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.
24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Ether 2: 18-25)
"27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." (Doctrine and Covenants 58: 27-28)
And here's the commentary entitled: "My decisions should balance “judgment and the direction of the Spirit.”
"The Lord gives direction about eternal truths and principles, but He often leaves it to us to determine the specific details about how to act on these principles. How do you see this principle illustrated in Doctrine and Covenants 62? (see also Doctrine and Covenants 60:5; 61:22). How have you seen this principle in your life? Why is it good for us to make some decisions without expecting God to tell us exactly what to do?
See also Ether 2:18–25; Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28."
In Doctrine and Covenants 62, the missionaries were instructed to make decisions on how they would travel according to their judgment (by land or by water) and the direction of the Spirit. I have seen this principle in my life as well. For example, I know the Lord's direction on how to take care of my physical body: Take in what is good for my body and do not take in what is not good. According to my own judgment, I make my own decisions on what specific food to eat, what not to eat, and what specific drink to drink and not to drink.
It is good for us to make some decisions without expecting God to tell us exactly what to do because God has given us our mind which we can use to figure out what to do on our own. We don't have to wait for the Lord to tell us exactly what to do all the time. He has given us eternal truths and principles and we govern ourselves accordingly. He has given us our freedom of choice for us to exercise so our decision-making capacity in different aspects of our lives could expand. And as we make the choice to do many things of our own free will and choice, we're learning and growing to become more like Him.
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