It is motivated by many different things, greed, lust, a sense of injustice, willfulness, etc… all of which lead one into fault finding with God. They find fault with His principles, teachings, justice, kindness, expectations, true representatives, yes even his sacrifices. The apostate is the epitome of the natural man’s inclination toward willfulness, willing that things be as they want, and not as they really are or as God ordained them to be. Such persons feel that God is unfair, unwise, unkind, too demanding, and though some may balk at the suggestion, the truth is that underlying those thoughts are the self-aggrandizing thoughts that they would be more fair, more wise, more kind, more loving, more of whatever it is they feel God is lacking in. In thus elevating themselves above God, they make themselves to be god in the process I call Self-Deification.
Such desire to replace God’s plan with one more in sync with one’s own... was the very cause of the initial war in Heaven and has plagued the world ever since the fall. Sadly, its rise is very subtle. For example, some let feelings of compassion, love, or concern for others lead them from what appear initially as good motivations to assume their view of love, compassion, and concern supersedes that of God, and so end up firing Him and rejecting His perfect love, and unexcelled compassion, because they allow pride to convince them their own mortal, flesh based, feeble love and compassion is somehow superior to that processed by an omniscient Father.
Thus another key to avoiding personal apostasy is in acquiring and maintaining humility. To that end the Lord has plead with His children to see things as they really are, to set aside their pride and willfulness and acknowledge the truth; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Interestingly the key to our overcoming the human tendency to arrogance, is found in the verses that precede His instruction; “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)
One way to acquire humility then, is to learn of God and His Son, to seek to know them as they really are, to study their lives, ponder their love. As Jesus taught; “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me”. (D & C 19:23) As we learn of God and Christ and see how much greater their love is than ours, how supreme their compassion is to ours, how much deeper their wisdom is than ours, how infinitely greater their perspectives are than ours, we will then be better able to walk in meekness.
Another way to obtain humility is to pray fervently, with all our hearts to be filled with charity. That we might love others, including God and Jesus with a perfect love. Since charity is “not puffed up” and “seeketh not her own,” etc. it is the core of real humility.
As we come to know God, and are filled with His perfect love, we will respond to Godly requests that we do not understand as Father Adam did; “I know not, save the Lord commanded me” (Moses 5:6) Then we will focus on the eternally important, and the rock, upon which others things may rest and respond as Nephi did to the Angel; “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” (I Nephi 11:17)
In such a state the questions about the compassion, equality, fairness, wisdom, etc. of God become subservient to the absolute knowledge of his love and perfection, and we can know that our current human perspectives are limited, and trust that when all is known, the questions and issues will be perfectly resolved. As the Lord revealed to Joseph; “Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.” (D & C 58:3) And as Paul taught the Corinthian Saints; “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (I Corinthians 13;12)
Avoiding personal apostacy, comes as we see ourselves and God as we really are, and have the faith to trust in and wait upon the Supreme Lord. While we are waiting and walking in the meekness of His ways, we can also avoid personal apostasy by holding fast to His divinely appointed Sources of Truth.