Accessing God’s Power through Covenants
Open talk in Gospel LibraryContents
Before Reading
Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:
- How does Elder Renlund compare our spiritual journey to the Amazon River?
- What does Elder Renlund say about the importance of covenants in accessing God’s power?
- What does it mean to be a covenant child of God?
- How can covenants help us resist the natural worldly flow?
- What personal stories does Elder Renlund share to illustrate the power of covenants?
Topics
Understanding the Power of Covenants
Elder Renlund explains that covenants are sacred agreements established by God, through which we can connect with Him and access His power. These covenants, made by participating in priesthood ordinances, involve our promise to do what God asks us to do, and in return, God promises us certain blessings.
In other words, we can access the power of God, but only when we connect with Him through sacred covenants.
Based on eternal, unchanging law, He specified the nonnegotiable conditions whereby we are transformed, saved, and exalted.
- What is a covenant according to Elder Renlund?
- What is the role of covenants in accessing God’s power?
- What are the conditions of making a covenant with God?
- How have you experienced God’s power through your covenants?
- What can you do to better understand and honor your covenants?
Walking the Covenant Path
Elder Renlund describes the "covenant path" as a series of covenants that connect us to Christ and give us access to His eternal power. This path begins with faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, followed by baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost. The path leads to the ordinances of the temple, such as the temple endowment, which connect us more fully to God.
The term covenant path refers to a series of covenants whereby we come to Christ and connect to Him.
The covenant path leads to the ordinances of the temple, such as the temple endowment.
- What is the "covenant path" as described by Elder Renlund?
- What are the steps in the covenant path?
- How does the temple endowment fit into the covenant path?
- Where are you currently on your covenant path?
- What steps can you take to progress further along your covenant path?
Becoming Disciples of Christ through Covenants
Elder Renlund teaches that through making and keeping covenants, we take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, becoming His disciples. He emphasizes that representing Christ well means intentionally and incrementally taking on His name through covenants. Our relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is changed because we are connected to Them by a covenantal bond.
We become His disciples and represent Him well when we intentionally and incrementally take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through covenants.
Our covenants give us power to stay on the covenant path because our relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is changed.
- How do covenants help us become disciples of Christ?
- What does it mean to take on the name of Jesus Christ through covenants?
- How have your covenants helped you become a better disciple of Christ?
- What can you do to more fully take on the name of Jesus Christ through your covenants?
Receiving Strength and Comfort through Covenants
Elder Renlund shares personal stories to illustrate how covenants provide strength to withstand trials and heartaches. He shares the story of his grandparents, who found hope and comfort in the doctrine of eternal families and the sealing power of the temple, despite facing significant hardships.
Keeping covenants made in baptismal fonts and in temples also provides us with strength to withstand mortality’s trials and heartaches.
Through covenant, she received the power of God to endure and rise above the depressive pull of her challenges and hardships.
- How do covenants provide strength and comfort during trials?
- What does Elder Renlund's story about his grandparents teach about the power of covenants?
- How have your covenants helped you during times of trial?
- What can you do to draw upon the strength and comfort of your covenants during difficult times?
The Transformative Power of Covenants
Elder Renlund emphasizes that through covenants, we are transformed and become perfected in Jesus Christ. He promises that as we walk the covenant path, we receive power to learn, repent, find joy in facing life’s challenges, and protect against the adversary. Ultimately, our destinies are changed because the covenant path leads to exaltation and eternal life.
As you come to Christ and are connected to Him and our Heavenly Father by covenant, something seemingly unnatural happens. You are transformed and become perfected in Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, our destinies are changed because the covenant path leads to exaltation and eternal life.
- How does making and keeping covenants lead to transformation and perfection?
- What are the promised blessings of walking the covenant path?
- How have you experienced transformation through your covenants?
- What can you do to more fully embrace the transformative power of your covenants?
