By Dina Alexander, MS
We are living in an incredible, yet sometimes distressing time here on earth. Each day, our kids are facing unique challenges that we, as parents, did not experience in our childhood. In order for our kids to blossom and thrive in these last days, they must learn to understand their priesthood power and how it can strengthen and protect them, as well as increase their ability to receive personal revelation.
For this purpose, I’ve written a book for my children and yours, The Powers of Heaven: A Priesthood Guide for Latter-day Saint Girls and Boys. In my research, study, and prayer, I’ve found many important truths that we need to teach our children as they prepare to make their first covenants with their Father in Heaven. I’d like to share a few of these with you now.
Every person who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants has direct access to the power of God: priesthood power.(Priesthood power is different from priesthood authority and priesthood keys.) All of us increase in priesthood power by making and keeping sacred covenants. This was new to me! And I’m grateful for Barbara Morgan Gardner for pointing this out in her book, The Priesthood Power of Women.
Elder Russell M. Ballard made this clear when he said, “Our Father in Heaven is generous with His power. All men and all women have access to this power for help in their lives. All who have made sacred covenants with the Lord and who honor those covenants are eligible to receive personal revelation, to be blessed by the ministering of angels, to commune with God, to receive the fullness of the gospel, and, ultimately, to become heirs alongside Jesus Christ of all our Father has.”
We make our first covenants in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when we are baptized and confirmed as a member. When baptized, we make sacred covenants to keep the commandments and to always remember Jesus Christ. We also promise to stand as a witness of Christ. As we keep these covenants, we can ask God for strength and protection in our challenges, and revelation to guide our daily lives. We can even ask for angels, seen and unseen, to watch over us! It is so important that we teach our children this essential truth!
It is also crucial that we teach and guide our children in their preparation for making covenants in the holy temple. Here, they can access further priesthood power when they receive their endowment. Help them understand that an endowment is a gift of spiritual knowledge and power.
As your kids prepare for baptism, teach them how they can access priesthood power when they pray from their hearts, sincerely and thoughtfully. Show them how to take time to study the scriptures and do family history.
Many don’t think of it, but avoiding distractions and earnestly trying to keep our thoughts clean will also increase our priesthood power. Help your kids understand the power of their actions and their thoughts. Fasting, being obedient to the commandments, and looking for ways to love and serve others can also help us access priesthood power. These are some of the best ways to show God that you are “all in” and committed to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
With your kids, read about spiritual gifts in Moroni 10:8-18 and discuss ways to develop those gifts! This is a great way to further teach your children about accessing their priesthood power.
Finally, the most simple way to access priesthood power is to ask for a priesthood blessing from a worthy priesthood holder. Show your kids how easy it is to ask and how important it is to pay attention to the words spoken just for them. As you request this power in your life, your access to priesthood power will increase and your children will see the benefit and feel the Spirit testify of the power that is in priesthood.
Again, we live in a wondrous day and age! It has been so inspiring to see our male and female leaders of the Church sharing their experience and understanding of priesthood power, particularly in the past couple of years. Their words greatly influenced me to write my latest book, The Powers of Heaven. I hope you will check it out! I think you will be encouraged by the truths therein and find it a very effective tool in simplifying this sometimes complex topic for your children.
If you’d like further your study of priesthood and priesthood power, I highly recommend The Priesthood Power of Women by Barbara Morgan Gardner, The Melchizedek Priesthood by Dale and Ruth Renlund, and Women and the Priesthood by Sheri Dew.
Dina Alexander is the founder of Educate and Empower Kids (educateempowerkids.org), an organization determined to strengthen families by teaching digital citizenship, media literacy, and healthy sexuality education—including education about the dangers of online porn. She is the creator of How to Talk to Your Kids About Pornography and the 30 Days of Sex Talks and 30 Days to a Stronger Child programs. She is also the author of Noah’s New Phone: A Story About Using Technology for Good and Petra’s Power to See: A Media Literacy Adventure.
Most recently she has published The Powers of Heaven, A Priesthood Guide for Latter-day Saint Girls and Boys, Chloe has a Question, a Very Important Question and This is the Spirit of Revelation for Latter-day Saint children.
Dina received her master’s degree in recreation therapy from the University of Utah and her bachelors from Brigham Young University. She loves being a mom and spending time with her husband and three kids. Together, they live in New Mexico. She has been a speaker at BYU Women’s Conference, has twice presented on the Mormon Channel’s Gospel Solutions for Families, and has been a guest on over 20 podcasts. She is currently in production with Deseret Books’ SEEK program where she is filming a short video series on how to talk with children about pornography.
Citations:
Ballard, M. R. (2014, September). Men and women and priesthood power. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2014/09/men-and-women-and-priesthood-power?lang=eng.
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Priesthood Power is God's Power
“If we will humbly present ourselves before the Lord and ask Him to teach us, He will show us how to increase our access to His power.”
–Russell M. Nelson
