Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our

Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives RUSSEL M. NELSON (2017)

Lesson Overview Lesson Theme: President Nelson’s Guide for Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives Step 1: Invest time to Study and Know His Doctrine. Step 2: Choose to exercise Faith in His promises. Step 3: Make and Keep Sacred Covenants. Step 4: Push yourself to the limit and reach to Him with your whole soul. Step 5: Witness the Grace of God act on your behalf.

Power to be Successful in Life Q: What tools and resources has God given us to overcome our trials and hardships? We were never meant to deal with the hardships and trials of life alone. Read: John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ” “ God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to help us. And His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. All so that we could have access to godly power—power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day. ” ---Russel M. Nelson Jesus Christ was sent to ensure we had the power to be successful in this life.

Step 1: Know of Him and His Mission Q: Why do you think we need to first study and learn of Him before accessing His power? “It is impossible for [us] to be saved in ignorance. ” (D&C 131: 6) Q: What do the scriptures teach us about the Mission of Jesus Christ? “I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me…. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross. ” (3 Nephi 27: 13 -14) “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. ” –Joseph Smith

Step 1: Know of Him and His Mission Q: Why should we be careful about using phrases like: “trusting in an relying on the atonement. ” “There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. ” Sacred terms suchas Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him. ” Q: How should we talk about accessing the grace and power of God?

Step 2: Exercising Faith Q: How do we exercise Faith in Jesus Christ to overcome trials? 1. Boldness: “True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world. They are undaunted, devoted, and courageous. ” Q: Why does God require us to be Bold? 2. Faith in our thoughts: “It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee. ” Q: How do you “look unto Him in every thought? ” What does this look like while you are going through a trial? 3. Faith in our actions: Faith in Jesus Christ propels us to do things we otherwise would not do. Faith that motivates us to action gives us more access to His power. Q: Why must our faith be expressed in actions?

Five Promises to Trust in Q: What promises from the scriptures can we choose to put our faith in to help us overcome our trials? 1. God has promised us eternal life. “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. ” (1 John 2: 25) 2. God has promised to compensate us for all our losses in this life. “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. ” (Mark 10: 29‐ 30) 3. God has promised us that we will always have the resources we need to deal with stressful situations. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. ” (1 Corinthians 10: 13)

Five Promises to Trust in 4. God has established boundaries in your life that no evil can pass. “I believe that the first and foremost thing for us to remember is that our beloved Master is in charge…He has placed controls on the course of the heavens, the forces and events of nature, the course of nations, and the life of every human being. He grants each of us on this earth enough agency to show our true nature, but never enough to destroy his own purposes. Because men have agency, there is evil. But that evil always has bounds. ” ‐Chauncey C. Riddle To Joseph Smith in moments of trial, and referring to his enemies, the Lord said, “Hold on thy way, for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. ” (D&C 122: 9. ) 5. God has promised to turn all of our struggles, sorrows and hardships into gains for us. “Nevertheless, Jacob, my first‐born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. ” (2 Nephi 2: 2)

Step 3: Make and Keep Covenants “ We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. Our covenants bind us to Him and give us godly power. ” Q: How are our covenants a source of power? How do we utilize that power? “Covenant-keeping men and women seek for ways to keep themselves unspotted from the world so there will be nothing blocking their access to the Savior’s power. ” Baptismal Promise: “To pour out His spirit more abundantly on the individual. ” “Our covenant commitment to Him permits our Heavenly Father to let His divine influence, "the power of godliness" (D&C 84: 20), flow into our lives. He can do that because by our participation in priesthood ordinances we exercise our agency and elect to receive it. (D. Todd Christofferson)

Step 4: Reach up In Faith Read: Luke 8: 43 -44 Q: What did the symbolic act of reaching for Jesus signify? “This faithful, focused woman needed to stretch as far as she could to access His power. Her physical stretching was symbolic of her spiritual stretching. ” “ When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do. ” When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you. Q: Why does God require us to stretch beyond our limits before Grace comes in?

Challenge Begin Drawing the power of God into your lives by using this model to work through a trial in your life.