How do I receive the power and blessings of the priesthood in my life?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Through the priesthood, we can receive the ordinances of salvation, including baptism and confirmation and temple ordinances that seal our families eternally. Keeping the covenants associated with these ordinances brings priesthood power—the power of God—into our lives. We can recognize this power operating in our lives as we sincerely repent and receive forgiveness, become more sensitive to the promptings and guidance of the Holy Ghost, and draw strength from the ordinances of the gospel. Through the priesthood we can also receive special blessings of comfort and healing, including father’s blessings and patriarchal blessings. The promises in these blessings are realized through our faith.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Matthew 3:1–6, 13–17; Acts 3:1–10; Mosiah 18:7–18; 3 Nephi 18:1–5 (How the priesthood blesses us)
Russell M. Nelson, “The Price of Priesthood Power,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 66–69
Neil L. Andersen, “Power in the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 92–95
Carole M. Stephens, “Do We Know What We Have?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 12–14
“Blessings of the Priesthood for All: An Inseparable Connection with the Priesthood,” Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 127–33
“Blessings of the Priesthood” (video)

3:5
“Face to Face: How can young women receive the power and blessings of the priesthood?” (video)

2:22

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

When have you recognized priesthood power in your life as you have kept your covenants? Do you have any experiences you could share with the young women?

How have the young women in your class been blessed by priesthood power? What can you do to help them recognize the power of the priesthood in their lives?

Ensure that the young women recognize that they have access to priesthood blessings regardless of their circumstances. These blessings can come through family members, priesthood leaders, and home teachers.

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?
Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?
Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

Assign each young woman to read a scripture story that shows how the priesthood blesses us (for examples, see the scriptures listed in this outline). The young women could also review the story about the two young girls in President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “The Price of Priesthood Power.” Ask the young women to retell the stories in their own words and explain the blessings that come from the priesthood. Encourage them also to share personal examples of blessings they have received through the priesthood. Encourage each young woman to record, in a journal or in a My Family booklet, stories about how the priesthood has blessed her family. Young women could ask their parents or other family members to help.
Bring to class an object that represents a blessing that comes from the priesthood, such as an umbrella to represent protection. Ask the young women what other objects could represent other blessings of the priesthood. As a class, read about Sister Carole M. Stephens’s visit to sisters in Honduras as related in her talk “Do We Know What We Have?” What blessings did these sisters and their families already enjoy? What additional blessings could they receive through the priesthood? What can the young women do to access the blessings of the priesthood in their families now and in their future families?
Divide the chapter “Blessings of the Priesthood for All: An Inseparable Connection with the Priesthood” in Daughters in My Kingdom into sections, and invite the young women to look for stories in which people were blessed by the power of the priesthood. Invite the young women to share a story that was meaningful to them with the rest of the class.
Ask the young women to read the following statement and look for ways the priesthood blesses them: “Sisters, some will try to persuade you that because you are not ordained to the priesthood, you have been shortchanged. They are simply wrong, and they do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge ‘armed’ with power. The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates all of the righteous against the powers of darkness. Most significantly, the fulness of the priesthood contained in the highest ordinances of the house of the Lord can be received only by a man and woman together” (Sheri Dew, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 128). Ask the young women to share examples of these blessings in their lives or the lives of people they know.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?
Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.
Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.