Elder Bednar gave some talks in smaller settings (which means they aren't printed) about the strengthening aspect of the atonement. He encouraged people to get a blank copy of the Book of Mormon and read and look for each time there was a phrase about "the strength of the Lord."
After finishing marking my copy of the Book of Mormon, I loved what I had learned and appreciated how much it applied to me. I tried to group the scriptures into categories, and I have included some of those here. Then I wanted to learn what the other prophets and apostles have said about this principle. Elder Bednar explained that the power comes from finding these verses yourself, not reading someone else's collection, so I have only included a few of the scriptures and quotes I found.
Studying this topic has impacted my life as one of the greatest gospel experiences I have enjoyed.
After finishing marking my copy of the Book of Mormon, I loved what I had learned and appreciated how much it applied to me. I tried to group the scriptures into categories, and I have included some of those here. Then I wanted to learn what the other prophets and apostles have said about this principle. Elder Bednar explained that the power comes from finding these verses yourself, not reading someone else's collection, so I have only included a few of the scriptures and quotes I found.
Studying this topic has impacted my life as one of the greatest gospel experiences I have enjoyed.
Grace [entry in the Bible Dictionary]
“Strength from the Lord”
Prayer
fills a very important human need. Each
of us has problems that we cannot solve and weaknesses that we cannot conquer
without reaching out through prayer to a higher source of strength.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, October 1981
We are weak and simple and
unlearned. Of ourselves we can do nothing, but in the strength of the Lord we
cannot fail. It is his power that sustains and guides us.
Elder Robert D. Hales, Oct
2012
“And
my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if
they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make
weak things become strong unto them.”5 For many, the call to be a Christian can seem
demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The
Savior has promised that He will make us
equal to His work. As we follow Him,
He blesses us with gifts, talents, and
the strength to do His will, allowing us to go beyond our comfort zones and
do things we’ve never before thought possible.
We need strength beyond ourselves to
keep the commandments
in whatever circumstance life brings us.
Another
simple thing to do, which allows God to give us strength, is to feast on the
word of God: read and ponder the standard works of the Church and the words of
living prophets.
Elder Bednar, October 2004
I have pondered the
instruction of Jacob as contained in the Book of Mormon:
“Nevertheless,
the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace
that we have power to do these things” (Jacob 4:6–7).
Please pay particular
attention to the word grace as it is used in the verse I just read. In the
Bible Dictionary we learn that the word
grace frequently is used in the scriptures to connote a strengthening or
enabling power:
“The
main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the
bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ. … It is likewise through the grace of
the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and
repentance of their sins, receive
strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able
to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power
that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they
have expended their own best efforts” (p. 697).
Elder Richard G. Scott April 1990
Your exercise of faith
permits you to call upon the strength of the Lord when you need it. Obedience to His commandments allows that
help to be given. The power of God will come into your life because of your
faithful obedience to His commandments.
Elder Henry B. Eyring, "O Ye That Embark," October 2008 General Conference
Most of you have discovered that your priesthood duties will stretch you to the point that you wonder if you can stretch that far. The tough part of that reality, however, is that for Him to give you that increased power you must go in service and faith to your outer limits.
Elder Henry B. Eyring, "O Ye That Embark," October 2008 General Conference
Most of you have discovered that your priesthood duties will stretch you to the point that you wonder if you can stretch that far. The tough part of that reality, however, is that for Him to give you that increased power you must go in service and faith to your outer limits.
It is like building muscle strength. You must break down your
muscles to build them up. You push muscles to the point of exhaustion. Then
they repair themselves, and they develop greater strength. Increased spiritual
strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to
our limits.
Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our natures can be changed. Then our power to carry
burdens can be increased more than enough to compensate for the increased
service we will be asked to give.
Scriptures
I.
The Lord Strengthened Them
1
Nephi 4:31 And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and
also having received much astrength of the Lord,
therefore I did seize the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not
flee.
1
Nephi 17:3 If it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he
doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can
accomplish the thing which he has commanded them.
Mosiah
24: 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid
upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did astrengthen them that they could bear up their bburdens
with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with cpatience
to all the will of the Lord.
Alma 26:11-12 But Ammon said unto him: I do not aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom;
but behold, my bjoy
is full, yea, my heart is brim with cjoy,
and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore
I will bnot
boast of myself, but I will cboast
of my God, for in his dstrength I can do all ethings.
II.
The Lord strengthened them
for battle
Mosiah 9:17 Yea,
in the astrength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites;
for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would bdeliver
us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of
the deliverance of our fathers.
Alma 2:28
Nevertheless, the Nephites, being strengthened by the hand of
the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he would deliver them out of
the hands of their enemies, therefore the
Lord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them, and the Lamanites and the Amlicites did fall
before them.
Alma 2:30 And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being
exercised with much afaith,
cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and bspare
my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this
people.
Alma 2:31 Now when Alma had said these words he contended again
with Amlici; and he was strengthened,
insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword.
Alma 43: 49-50 And it came to pass that they turned
upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for
their liberty and their freedom from bondage. And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in
that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the
Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters of Sidon.
Alma 56:56 But
behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them [Sons of Helaman]
fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought
as if with the strength of
God; yea, never were men know to have fought with such miraculous strength.
III.
Prerequisites to receiving
strength/power – Why we receive strength
1
Nephi 17:3 If it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he
doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can
accomplish the thing which he has commanded them.
Helaman 4:13 And
because of this their great wickedness, and
their boastings in their own strength,
they were left in their own strength; therefore they
did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the
Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.
Helaman 4:26 For behold, they
saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even
man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus
had they become aweak,
because of their transgression, in the space of bnot many years.
3
Nephi 28:11 And the aHoly Ghost
beareth record of the Father and me; and
the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of
me.
Jacob 4:7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his
grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have
power to do these things.
Mosiah 3: 19 For the anatural bman
is an cenemy
to God, and has been from the dfall
of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he eyields
to the enticings of the Holy fSpirit,
and gputteth
off the hnatural
man and becometh a isaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord,
and becometh as a jchild, ksubmissive,
meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the
Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
Mosiah 5: 2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we
believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of
their surety and truth, because of the
Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty achange in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do bevil,
but to do good continually.
Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I
will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me,
and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them.
Grace comes because of the atonement
Moroni 10:30 And again I would exhort
you that ye would acome unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good bgift, and ctouch
not the evil gift, nor the dunclean
thing.
Moroni
10:32 Yea, acome unto Christ, and be bperfected in him, and cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves
of all ungodliness, and dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that
by his grace ye may be eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in
nowise deny the power of God.
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