Study Guide for "This Is Our Time!"

In his talk, "This Is Our Time!", Elder S. Gifford Nielsen uses his experiences as a professional football player and a priesthood holder to illustrate the significance of our individual roles in God's plan. He emphasizes the importance of making righteous choices, exercising faith, and recognizing our divine worth. He also highlights the importance of priesthood power, the love of God, and the need for us to step up in our own time, just like the prophets and heroes of scriptures did in their times.

Before Reading

Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:

What does Elder Nielsen mean when he says, "This is our time"?
How does Elder Nielsen relate his experiences in football to spiritual principles?
What role does choice play in our spiritual journey, according to Elder Nielsen?
How does Elder Nielsen suggest we can develop greater faith and courage?
What does Elder Nielsen teach about the importance of loving ourselves?

Topics

Understanding Our Divine Role and Time

Elder Nielsen emphasizes the importance of recognizing our individual roles in God's plan during our time on earth. He suggests that we are here at this decisive time in the world's history to build God's kingdom and that our choices have eternal significance.

Maybe we don’t always feel up to the challenge. But our Heavenly Father sees us as fearless builders of His kingdom. That is why He sent us here during this most decisive time in the world’s history. This is our time!

Mightiest works? Miraculous indications? What will that look like? What role will we play, and how will we understand what to do? I don’t know all the answers, but I do know that the Lord needs us to be ready!

What does it mean to be a "fearless builder" of God's kingdom?
Why is it important to understand our divine role in this time?
How can you prepare yourself to fulfill your divine role?
What choices can you make today that will have eternal significance?

Exercising Faith and Courage

Elder Nielsen speaks about the importance of having faith and courage in the face of challenges. He uses examples from his own life and from scriptures to illustrate the power of faith and courage.

I needed to learn that I could be strong and courageous in the face of difficult situations.

When winds blow in our lives, where is our focus? Remember, there is always one reliable source of strength and courage. The arms of Jesus extend to us, just as they extended to Peter. As we reach for Him, He will lovingly rescue us.

What does it mean to be strong and courageous in the face of difficult situations?
How can faith help us overcome our fears and doubts?
How can you exercise more faith and courage in your daily life?
What are some ways you can focus more on Christ during challenging times?

Making Righteous Choices

Elder Nielsen discusses the impact of our choices on our spiritual journey. He emphasizes that our choices determine our destiny and encourages us to make choices that align with God's commandments.

At the end of his life, Joshua pleaded with his people, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Because of the choices he made to serve the Lord, Joshua became a great leader in his time.

Good choices equal happiness—eternally.

How do our choices determine our destiny?
What does it mean to choose to serve the Lord?
What choices can you make today to better serve the Lord?
How can you ensure your choices align with God's commandments?

Recognizing Our Divine Worth

Elder Nielsen teaches about the importance of recognizing our divine worth. He suggests that understanding our worth in the eyes of God helps us to love ourselves, which in turn enables us to love God and others more fully.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to love ourselves—not to become prideful or self-centered, but to see ourselves as He sees us: we are His cherished children.

The more we recognize our divine worth, the better we understand this divine truth: that God has sent us right here, right now, at this momentous time in history, so that we can do the greatest possible good with the talents and gifts we have.

Why is it important to recognize our divine worth?
How does understanding our divine worth affect our relationship with God and others?
What steps can you take to better recognize your divine worth?
How can recognizing your divine worth help you to serve God and others more effectively?

Exercising Priesthood Power

Elder Nielsen discusses the significance of worthily exercising priesthood power. He shares a personal experience of giving a priesthood blessing and emphasizes that the outcome is not always as we desire, but we can trust in God's wisdom.

Worthily exercising priesthood power has never been more crucial.

We can’t always choose the outcome of our actions, but we can choose to be ready to act.

What does it mean to worthily exercise priesthood power?
Why is it crucial to be ready to act with priesthood power?
How can you prepare yourself to worthily exercise priesthood power?
How can you trust in God's wisdom when the outcome of your actions is not as you desired?