2 Nephi 10:23-24

23: Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves-to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Jacob is an optimist. He tells us to cheer up our hearts, or to be happy, because we are free to act for ourselves. We have the freedom to choose whether we will find spiritual death or eternal life at the end of mortality. Neither one will be forced upon us. I love that! My destiny is in my hands. I do not have to fear Satan. He has no power over me but what I give to him. So as long as I cling to the iron rod and continually mend my crooked ways, constantly bringing my life back into alignment with God's will, I will be certain to have eternal life as my reward at the end of this mortal existence. I am not a victim of an arbitrary assignment or an unconquerable force. I am free to act for myself and I will choose the Lord.

24: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

reconcile (Webster):
1 a : to restore to friendship or harmony; b : settle, resolve; 2 : to make consistent or congruous

Our lives, actions, and own will should be in harmony with the will of God. I can determine if my will is reconciled to the will of God or Satan (and my flesh) be examining my actions. If my actions are in harmony with the teachings of the gospel, then my will must be in harmony with the Lord's will. If my actions are not in harmony with the teachings of the gospel, I must quickly repent and renew my commitment, reconciling myself to the will of God. I like how Jacob ends on the reminder that even after we have worked to reconcile ourselves to God, it is still only through the grace of God that we are saved. It takes a lot of work, diligence, and sometimes suffering to reconcile ourselves to God. We cannot allow that to make us prideful. We must always maintain humility, recognizing that no matter how strong we are (or think we are), we would never be able to be saved without God's grace. We would always fall short.