Accessing Priesthood Power

Here is a great video I came across that deals with accessing the power of the priesthood. When I was serving as EQP several years ago, I tried to put emphasis on this in my discussions with the quorum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWWUb03ck1Q

Power is given by the Lord to His servants.  We must exercise righteously an effort worthy of such a gift to be able to serve effectively.  I often wondered if we could be mentored by HP's in our service in order to discover how to access priesthood power.  I think that will help men function more fully in their responsibilities, but I feel like as good as a mortal mentor is, we really need to seek to be taught by the Savior himself, as President Nelson has stated.

Here are a few extra resources outside of the scriptures and the church handbook to study and ponder in regards to the priesthood:
https://www.amazon.com/Will-Thine-Priesthood-Surrounding-Understanding-ebook/dp/B010OYRDC4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=my+will+or+thine&qid=1595998111&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Powers-Heaven-Grant-Harrison/dp/0910558000/ref=sr_1_2?crid=29MPNS2SJG5BG&dchild=1&keywords=calling+down+the+powers+of+heaven&qid=1595998208&sprefix=calling+on+the+powers+of+heaven%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Melchizedek-Priesthood-Understanding-Doctrine-Principles/dp/1629724459/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=melchizedek+priesthood&dchild=1&keywords=melchizedek+priesthood&pd_rd_i=1629724459&pd_rd_r=a66c5acf-5fff-43e0-8e65-5255cbd55a19&pd_rd_w=IrlT5&pd_rd_wg=0zYdp&pf_rd_p=13bf9bc7-d68d-44c3-9d2e-647020f56802&pf_rd_r=8JYWYDQK1CVFQ5W6NXA4&psc=1&qid=1595998262&sr=1-1-791c2399-d602-4248-afbb-8a79de2d236f

Your Vital Part in the Ongoing Restoration

   I am so grateful for the leaders in the church and their encouragement to us as members as we seek to play a part in the continued unfolding of the Restoration.  President Henry B. Eyring, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency walked us through his experience prior to this past general conference (April 2020) in preparation for this year's inaugural commemoration of the First Vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to the young boy, Joseph Smith in the sacred grove next to his home in Palmyra, New York.  A video had been released narrowing down the exact date that this magnificent experience came to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6MsQ6QBMMY
    The invitation from President Russell M. Nelson was to prepare the members for the small part we will play in gathering God's children before the Savior's Second Coming and the building up of Zion.
In his talk in the Saturday morning session he assumed we had asked the question, "In what way is my part vital?" as we prepared by studying the Restoration up to the start of conference in April.

     President Eyring said he felt changes in his heart, he felt new gratitude, and filled with joy at the prospect of being invited to participate in the celebration of the ongoing Restoration.

Here's the deal.... If you feel like you may have missed out on the opportunity to join with members of the church in studying about the Restoration earlier this year, "let not your heart be troubled"😃 because President Nelson has designated the entire year to celebrate the commencement of the dispensation of the fullness of times.  It makes me curious as to what is in store for the upcoming sessions of General Conference in October 2020.  We already know that it will follow the same format as the one back in April. All sessions will be broadcast from a studio location in Salt Lake city.  What might we anticipate as we continue to prepare for that? One can only speculate at this time as we get closer to that event.  This preparation you realized or will yet realize will be a hinge point in not only the history of the church but also your personal history and spiritual journey as mentioned in President Eyring's talk.

I love President Eyring's optimism in this talk as he tells us, "As part of our preparation for His coming, He will lift each of us so we may rise to spiritual challenges and opportunities unlike any seen in the history of this world."
-Right now we have since seen a shut down of the US economy, civil unrest, protests turned to riots in the streets at the expense of precious lives, families torn apart by political differences and deadly violence. However, having spent the last few months worshiping in a more intimate setting in our individual family's homes, you may have noticed a spiritual strengthening not just personally. You very well may have noticed more unity within your family.
  I can say that the trials my family has experienced since the later part of May have turned to blessings and brought us closer together.  My wife and I have been on the same page in our decision making regarding our finances, which is essential in a marriage.(We are still making plans and preparations for the end of this year as we anticipate what may come our way.) Not to say that life has been stress free, but I have seen God's hand in our family's life and seen his plan for us play out for the better even through the tough trials we've experienced.

President Eyring quoted the prophet Joseph Smith in a declaration he and his counselors made to members of the church in 1840 about the work yet to be done in the last dispensation:

"The work of the Lord in these last days, is one of vast magnitude and almost beyond the comprehension of mortals. Its glories are past description, and its grandeur unsurpassable. It is the theme which has animated the bosom of prophets and righteous men from the creation of the world down through every succeeding generation to the present time; and it is truly the dispensation of the fullness of times, when all things which are in Christ Jesus, whether in heaven or on the earth, shall be gathered together in Him, and when all things shall be restored, as spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world began; for in it will take place the glorious fulfilment of the promises made to the fathers, while the manifestations of the power of the Most High will be great, glorious, and sublime....We feel disposed to go forward and unite our energies for the upbuilding of the Kingdom, and establishing the Priesthood in their fullness and glory.  The work that has to be accomplished in the last days is one of vast importance, and will call into action the energy, skill, talent, and ability of the Saints, so that it may roll forth with that glory and majesty described by  the prophet [Daniel][see Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45]; and will consequently require the concentration of the Saints, to accomplish works of such magnitude and grandeur.”
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-44?lang=eng

The link has the reference for your convenience and context. As I read through it I was struck by the next paragraphs:

“Dear brethren, feeling desirous to carry out the purposes of God, to which work we have been called; and to be co-workers with Him in this last dispensation; we feel the necessity of having the hearty cooperation of the Saints throughout this land, and upon the islands of the sea. It will be necessary for the Saints to hearken to counsel and turn their attention to the Church, the establishment of the Kingdom, and lay aside every selfish principle, everything low and groveling; and stand forward in the cause of truth, and assist to the utmost of their power, those to whom has been given the pattern and design. …"

Did you catch that detail? We as saints must follow counsel and turn our attention to the Church, establishment of the Kingdom, and lay aside our pride and selfishness. Oh, and there's more...

“Here, then, beloved brethren, is a work to engage in worthy of archangels—a work which will cast into the shade the things which have been heretofore accomplished; a work which kings and prophets and righteous men in former ages have sought, expected, and earnestly desired to see, but died without the sight; and well will it be for those who shall aid in carrying into effect the mighty operations of Jehovah.”

This really is a great time to be alive on the earth. Those from long ago have looked with anticipation to our day. The works which we will play a role in carrying forth will make the miracles recounted in scripture look plain in comparison.

We are given some insight as to what to look ahead to that we have revealed to us through scripture thus far:
        ·      Through His Saints, the Lord will offer the gift of His gospel “to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.”

•      Technology and miracles will continue to play a part – as will individual “fishers of men” who minister with power and increasing faith.
•      We as a people will become more united amid increasing conflict
•      We will be gathered in the spiritual strength of groups and families filled with gospel light
•      Even an unbelieving world will recognize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and realize the power of God upon it.
•      Faithful and brave disciples will fearlessly, humbly, and openly take upon them the name of Christ in their everyday lives.

What more can we look forward to? Over the short span of President Nelson's time as the prophet of the church, he has given the members of the church invitations and counsel to receive personal revelation to which President Eyring declares will give us the necessary power to participate appropriately in the events to come:

How then can each of us participate in this work of such magnitude and grandeur?

(President Nelson has taught us how to grow in spiritual power.)

1-Take repentance as a joyful opportunity because of our growing faith that Jesus is the Christ

2- Understand and Believe that Heavenly Father hears our every prayer

3- Strive to Obey and Live the commandments

These 3 things allow us to grow in our power to receive continuing revelation.

Remember, Prayer is key. 

 I'll finish with this last quote from President Eyring's talk...

“Our ability to make our VITAL contribution to the wonderful continuing Restoration will increase as we grow in our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Heavenly Father as our loving Father. As we pray in faith we become a vital part in the Lord’s work as He prepares the world for His Second Coming.  I pray that we may all find joy in doing the work He invites each of us to perform.”

Check out his talk for yourself and see where it leads you.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/17eyring?lang=eng

People in the Book of Mormon who fled for safety

      In my study of the book of Mormon this year I have been impacted by the patterns I have discovered of various forms and themes.  One of those being a pattern of people fleeing for safety temporally and spiritually.  I first noticed this after reading a message from President Nelson in the April 2020 Ensign.  In his message to members of the church, titled "Future of the Church: Preparing the world for the Savior's second coming", he tells us...
     "The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do.(D&C 86:1-7)  Our safest insurance is to be worthy to attend His holy house.  The greatest gift you could give the Lord is to keep yourself unspotted from the world, worthy to attend His holy house.  His gift to you will be the peace and security of knowing you are worthy to meet Him whenever that time comes."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/04/the-future-of-the-church-preparing-the-world-for-the-saviors-second-coming?lang=eng

So a separation is coming and the divide will be determined by obedience to the Lord.  This year we have also seen an emphasis on the phrase "Hear Him!", referring to hearing the voice of the Savior in our own personal efforts to receive, as invited by President Nelson recently, personal revelation.  I have got my work cut out for me to hear my Savior.  It was something I had personally embraced several months ago in preparation for General Conference back in April. Now life seems to be coasting a bit in this limbo of the Corona virus pandemic, and distractions and life's stresses abound.

   As I read this paragraph from President Nelson's ensign address, I thought about what I had been reading of Lehi and Nephi being warned of the Lord to flee for the safety of them and their families.
     Here we are months later and I have seen how the Lord continues to separate his people for their protection through out the following chapters of the book of Mormon.  Is this what we are preparing for?  I have heard that there will not be a warning or a "call out" given by the leadership of the church when we are to gather to "Zion" or the New Jerusalem. That may be true to an extent, in that there must be spiritual preparation done on our own part.  I wondered if I were to receive a warning to "flee for safety" with my family, what that process and experience would be like.  That contemplation was met with a bit of anxiety.  Haven't the leaders said as we gather to Zion that the stakes of Zion are where we reside? But yet there will be a gathering in a future day to prepare for the Savior's return to his people at New Jerusalem.

Thanks to a video message I came across a quote from a member out west who shared her study on the prophesied tribulations to come and other latter-day events surrounding the Savior's second coming.

"The Lord has placed the responsibility for directing the work of gathering in the hands of the leaders of the church to whom he will reveal his will where and when such gatherings would take place in the future.  It would be well - before the frightening events concerning the fulfillment of all God's promises and predictions are upon us that the saints in every land prepare themselves and look forward to the instruction that shall come to them from the first presidency of this church as to where they shall be gathered and not be disturbed in their feelings until such instruction is given to them as it is revealed by the Lord to the proper authority."  (In conference report, April 1948, pg. 55)
 The saints must look to the first presidency and gather at whatever time and in whatever manner they prescribe."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-29-prepare-against-the-day-of-tribulation?lang=eng&clang=ase

     Yes, We MUST prepare ourselves and our families temporally and spiritually for times of trouble.  Yes, we must do the work required to obtain the blessings of protection during what trials may lie ahead, but we MUST also look to the leaders of the church, specifically the First Presidency for instruction on fleeing, be it fleeing from physical danger or spiritual.  If you look at the pattern in the book of Mormon, Nephi and his siblings along with Sariah received instruction from Lehi, the prophet, prior to fleeing Jerusalem, and so on for each example afterward in the book of Mormon.  Direction was given from the Lord to His servants, and then to his people.

Who all has fled for safety thus far in the Book of Mormon?

Lehi and his family fled Jerusalem - 1 Nephi 1:13,20; 1 Nephi 2:1-7(1-3)


Nephi and his family fled Laman and Lemuel - 2 Nephi 5:5-6



King Mosiah I fled the land of Nephi - Omni 1:12



King Limhi and his people fled the Lamanites - Mosiah 22



Alma the elder and the saints of the church fled King Noah and his priests - Mosiah 18:34; 23:1; 24:16, 23


Ammon, his brothers, and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies fled the Lamanites(Amulonites & Amalekites) Alma 27:12-14

To Ammon, the Lord gave this message, concerning the newly converted Lamanite members of the church.  He said "Get this people out of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will preserve them." (Alma 27:12)

Do we need to get out of the "land" we currently reside in spiritually in order to receive the promise of the Lord's divine protection?  I hope we can prepare ourselves so that we are ready and looking forward to whatever instruction we may receive from our prophet and his counselors when the day comes.

In times of trouble and confusion, where should we look?

     These days are filled with doubt, confusion, and seemingly double standards. The scriptures give warning to those who "...call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20 see also 2 Nephi 15:20)

There is so much hate in the world. Not long ago it seemed distant but now you can hardly check your facebook feed or the top news headlines without seeing even a hint of negative press on current events in the country. It's as if there is an agenda at play trying to pit one man against his brother. Why is that?  The riots from people frustrated by the incident involving George Floyd have created a rage that has carried from city to city across the country.  

     Fortunately while we see this war of words and opinions, we have also had a message given by President Russell M. Nelson, prophet of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints.  Without direction from Heavenly Father, we would be left to reason one side against another based solely on the arguments projected in the mainstream media and social media posts.  We must pick a side. The Lord does not tolerate hate of His children. 

President Nelson released this statement:

"We join with many throughout this nation and around the world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and a blatant disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin.
We are also saddened when these assaults on human dignity lead to escalating violence and unrest.
The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!
During the Savior’s earthly mission, He constantly ministered to those who were excluded, marginalized, judged, overlooked, abused, and discounted. As His followers, can we do anything less? The answer is no! We believe in freedom, kindness, and fairness for all of God’s children!
Let us be clear. We are brothers and sisters, each of us the child of a loving Father in Heaven. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites all to come unto Him—“black and white, bond and free, male and female,” (2 Nephi 26:33). It behooves each of us to do whatever we can in our spheres of influence to preserve the dignity and respect every son and daughter of God deserves.
Any nation can only be as great as its people. That requires citizens to cultivate a moral compass that helps them distinguish between right and wrong.
Illegal acts such as looting, defacing, or destroying public or private property cannot be tolerated. Never has one wrong been corrected by a second wrong. Evil has never been resolved by more evil.
We need to foster our faith in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
We need to foster a fundamental respect for the human dignity of every human soul, regardless of their color, creed, or cause.
And we need to work tirelessly to build bridges of understanding rather than creating walls of segregation.
I plead with us to work together for peace, for mutual respect, and for an outpouring of love for all of God’s children."

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-shares-social-post-encouraging-understanding-and-civility

     What part do we have in this? Should we just sit back in quarantine during this pandemic while others are out for good or bad rioting and protesting passionately?

President Nelson has given us God's command to repent of any prejudice we have toward another race.  What is within our spheres of influence to preserve dignity and respect for all? Has our moral compass been cultivated to determine what is right and what is wrong?

D&C 121:17 says that "those who cry transgression towards others do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves." 

Seems interesting since President Donald Trump has been constantly attacked since being elected in 2016.  He can't be influenced by those with money and an agenda against the good of the country.  In Alma 14, Amulek and Alma contended with lawyers, judges, priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor. (Check Alma Chapter 1 for more information on Nehor) There are those who were in the church and in the system of government of the Nephites in the city of Ammonihah who were trained and somehow with formal qualification to ridicule and persecute these two men.  They seem to profit monetarily and grow in power by stirring up the people unto contention.  That is the way of the adversary. Alma even warns us in chapter 12, verse 6, that this pattern of stirring up the people to contention is "a snare", a trap, which satan has laid to catch you, "that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity."

President Nelson early last year warned of a coming deception. Are we approaching this? If so, I hope we have our wits about us to interpret our moral compass in these times of crises.