Serving a mission has increased my gratitude and love for the Priesthood in my life. Because of the power and blessings I have seen come into my life from the Priesthood I have decided to dedicate a page to what the Priesthood is and what it can do for us so that others may experience its power in their lives. I have asked others to send in their personal experiences with the Priesthood, and although anonymous they are all real experiences in real people's lives. I love the Priesthood and am so grateful to have had it in my own life and hope that I can share with others the blessings of the Priesthood they too can experience. I know this is a powerful and precious gift from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that as we seek to better understand what it is and what it does for us we will more fully experience God's power in our own lives.
The Priesthood is the power and authority to act in God's name. It is the power by which we can know and follow God's will. Only by the Priesthood can we properly recieve the saving ordinances of the gospel (baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the temple sealing and endowment, partaking of the Sacrament, etc). Only by the Priesthood do men called of God have the authority to organize and run Christ's Church on earth today. Without the Priesthood none of us can return to live with our Heavenly Father again.
The Priesthood is divided into 2 types; the Aaronic and the Melchizedek. Aaronic Priesthood bearers have the authority to bless and pass the Sacrament and perform the ordinance of baptism. This Priesthood prepares worthy males to recieve the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood. Those who hold this Higher Priesthood have the authority to bless and pass the Sacrament, perform the ordinance of baptism and confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They also have the authority to peform blessings of healing and comfort. This power is conditional upon worthiness of the holder and can only be used in the service of others. No Priesthood holder can use this power to bless themselves or perform their own will. It is only used to perform the will of God and to further the building of the Kingdom of God.
This Priesthood has always existed within Christ's church. It was lost when Christ and the apostles were killed and was restored to Joseph Smith during the process of restoring Christ church to earth today. (click here to read more about apostasy and restoration of the Priesthood)
Talks on the Priesthood:
How the Priesthood Blesses Lives:
Personal Experiences with the Priesthood:
The priesthood has been such a blessing in my life on a daily basis. There is always the normal thing we all share, baptism, temple ordinances, etc. I think the time it has been the biggest blessing in my life was with my battle through cancer. I received many blessing which gave me not only the strength, but an inc...redible peace of mind knowing I would survive. Before surgery, I had great fear because of the way I had responded from the anesthetics from the last surgery I had. The Sunday before my surgery, I receive a blessing from one of the Branch Presidencies which said everything would go smoothly, they would get all of the cancer, and that I would feel a great peace in the operating room as the Savior would be there present with me. I was not nervous at all through preparation or the surgery. I was never so relaxed. Through all of the blessing I received from worthy priesthood holders I knot only survived my battle with cancer, but I grew spiritually from my experience, begin able to do much more than so many others in the same situations. I continued to work full time, I continued to hold my calling as the Relief Society President, and I continued to fulfill my responsibility as a supportive mother to a very loving family.- The Priesthood is my constant reminder of Jesus Christ. It was given so that I and my family could follow the pattern of life it gives and become more like Him. The Priesthood is my way back to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
The priesthood has always reminded me of who I am, and who I represent. As a priesthood holder I am charged with the keeping of the very power of our Heavenly father on this earth, and I need to always live in a way that denotes that fact. If I am asked to use this sacred trust and am unworthy of it, then I am not living up to the expectations of God and those around me. So it has always been a check for me and my actions, to see if I'm making my Father proud.- It's so much more than the just the priesthood of God. The true power of the priesthood in my life has been to watch how it changes the person who holds it worthily. As he strives to be worthy he holds himself to a basic moral standard to live a righteous life. It was this dedication to righteous living that made my father the role model that he is for me.
- Well, what I've found is that having the priesthood reminds me of my responsiblity and helps me understand the trust I've been given. But my patriachal blessing has helped me because I don't have a clue in the world what I am going to do with my life. It has given me comfort to have a idea what to expect in life and help me plan accordingly. I still don't understand what I'll do, but I'm not afraid of the future.
- Most gospel blessings come through the Priesthood into my life, such as my membership since the age of 8, the weekly actions on Sunday of priesthood holders at church who interact with me, the gift of having my husband able to give me a blessing when I am sick or worried, the memory of amazing blessings I've heard him give to our children. I do have a testimony of the Priesthood, its restoration to the earth by John the Baptist, and Peter, James and John. I have been blessed through righteous priesthood holders since my childhood.
- When I was 15 years old I was riding bikes with a friend on a warm sunny day after school. We were riding downhill pretty fast and I lost control of the bike and crashed head first into a pile of rocks. This is what I’m told anyway. I don’t actually have any memory of the day due to the force in which I hit my head . I was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries to my face and head and lacerations on my arms and legs. Upon arrival it was discovered that I needed stitches in four different places on my face and I had a broken my cheek bone. After having a CAT scan of my face it was discovered that I would need plastic surgery to put my cheek bone back into alignment so it could properly heal. They told my parents that my face would carry come pretty heavy scars following the surgery and would always look a little deformed. They were also told it would be a very long healing process and that I would probably be out of school for quite a while. Somewhere among all the trauma my uncle came to the hospital from his work. When he arrived he immediately gave me a priesthood blessing. In the blessing I was blessed that I would recover fully and quickly, and I was blessed that I would not need surgery in order for that healing to occur. The next day when the doctors sent me to get another CAT scan so that they could get a better look at my cheek bone to prepare me for surgery they were dumbfounded at what they saw. My cheek bone was in perfect alignment. No surgery was necessary. I was released from the hospital later that day and my face was fully healed in two weeks. The scarring went from bright red to being hardly noticable in just a few more weeks. When I returned to school people didn’t even believe I had been through the experience I had been because there were no outward signs. This is just one of the ways the power of the priesthood has affected my life. I know I was healed because of the power of the priesthood and the faith my parents and I had in it. and I am so grateful for the priesthood in my life and that that power is on the earth once again.
Having my father as a righteous priesthood holder in the home has always provided me the comfort and peace that I need knowing that if I needed a blessing or guidance in my life, I could always trust him to provide for me. I am also thankful for my Patriarchal Blessing that has given me direction in my life. I know that as I continue on the path of righteousness and obedience, the promises that it holds will be given at just the right time and in just the right way.
If you have more stories about the Priesthood please send them to me and I'll post them!
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