Category Archives: Spiritual Strength

Sep 26 2021

Spiritual Strength: Lesson Ideas

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Table of Contents

How to Gain Spiritual Strength

Friend August 2023 “Standing Strong” A tree’s roots are very important. They keep the tree standing strong, even through wind and storms. On the roots of this tree, write things you can do to invite the Holy Ghost into your life and stay close to Heavenly Father. Then you can stand strong too.

My testimony of Jesus Christ grows when I read the scriptures, pray, and fast.

Alma 17:2–3

Mosiah’s sons grew strong in the gospel and became mighty missionaries because they diligently studied the scriptures, prayed, and fasted.

Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 17-22”

  • How can the examples of Mosiah’s sons help your children build their testimonies of Jesus Christ? You could help your children find what the sons of Mosiah did to build their spiritual strength in Alma 17:2–3. Then they could draw pictures or find objects that represent these things. Help them plan what they will do to strengthen their testimonies of the Savior.

The Red Crystal

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 Bring to class items that represent scriptures, prayer, and fasting, such as a set of scriptures, a picture of someone praying, and a picture of food, and explain what each item represents. Read Alma 17:1–4, and ask the children how these things helped the sons of Mosiah. How does reading the scriptures, praying, and fasting help us come closer to Heavenly Father?

Use the topics index of the Children’s Songbook to help the children find songs about scripture study and prayer. Sing some of these songs together, and help the children identify what the songs teach about

( Alma 17:1–2). What do you learn from the sons of Mosiah about how to keep your faith in the gospel and commitment to it strong?

(Alma 17:3). How did the spiritual preparation of the sons of Mosiah affect their work with the Lamanites?

Building Our Foundation on Jesus Christ

Friend October 2021 “Our Strong Foundation” President Nelson talks about the Salt Lake Temple foundation needs strengthened to shore up weak areas. Then he says, “We must build the foundation of our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Then when spiritual earthquakes happen, we will be able to stand strong.”

For the Strength of Youth March 2024

Daily Spiritual Charge

For the Strength of Youth August 2021 “Your Daily Spiritual Charge”

Friend September 2022 “Small Things Make a Difference!” Jed is the smallest in his class. Sometimes he wishes he could be taller, but regardless of his height he can do many good things. Values are more important than height.

My Spiritual Light Can Grow Brighter and Brighter.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:23–25

23 And that which doth not edifyis not of God, and is darkness.

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

25 And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;

Friend May 2021 “Scripture Time Fun” Follow the Light

  • Sing “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” (Children’s Songbook,177).
  • Jesus Christ taught, “That which is of God is light” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24). The gospel is like a light that leads us out of darkness and confusion.
  • Hide an item in a dark room and try to find it. Then look again with a flashlight or small lamp. How does the gospel help you find your way?

Gaining more knowledge of the gospel and obeying its principles allows our spiritual light to grow brighter.

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 49–50”

You might gather in a dark room to read Doctrine and Covenants 50:23–25 and gradually add more light by lighting candles or turning on lights one by one. You could also read these verses while watching the sun rise in the morning. What can we do to make our gospel light continue to grow? When family members learn something new about the gospel during the week, encourage them to share it with the family by writing a note and attaching it to a lamp or other light in the house.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 49-50”

Abstract concepts like truth and spirit can be hard for young children to understand, but comparing them to light, as the Lord does in Doctrine and Covenants 50:23–25, can help.

  • Use an activity that illustrates how our spiritual light can grow brighter and brighter. You could show pictures of things that give light (such as a candle, a light bulb, and the sun) and let the children arrange them in increasing order of brightness. Or invite the children to pretend to be lights getting brighter by bending down and slowly standing and stretching up their arms. Help them think of good things they can do to make their spiritual light brighter.
  • Sing with the children a song about their spiritual light, such as “Shine On” (Children’s Songbook, 144). Testify about how Heavenly Father has helped your light grow brighter. Tell the children about the light you see in them.

Friend November 2019 “For Parents of Little Ones” Parents share how they stay spiritually nourished while taking care of young children.

Ensign June 2017 “Family Home Evening Ideas”  To illustrate the importance of gaining your own spiritual light, consider this activity. Turn off the lights and ask family members to draw a picture. Have someone with a flashlight or candle use it only for their own picture. After a few minutes, turn the lights back on. Talk about the difference in being able to complete the task and then discuss the principles found in the article.

Friend March 2016

Friend March 2016

Friend September 2015

Friend September 2015

Friend March 1987

Friend March 1987
Friend March 1987

Friend January 1984

Ensign January 2018 Like the children of Israel, we also need to gather “spiritual manna” every day–we pray, study scriptures, keep the commandments, and serve others in order to keep the Spirit with us. Find something that you can use as “manna” (buttons, toys, balls of paper, etc.) and spread them out on your floor. Have the children gather the manna and put it into a bowl. (To make the game a little harder, you might hide the manna.) Every time they place a piece of manna in the bowl, they can give an example of an action that provides spiritual nourishment. Consider reading Exodus 16:19–21 and having a discussion. Why was it important for the Israelites to gather manna every day? And why is it important for us?

Just like the car’s battery that needed to be periodically recharged in Elder Bassett’s story, we too need to be spiritually recharged. Find a windup toy or top–something that must be wound or spun in order to work. Spin or wind the toy a few times. How does this relate to how we power ourselves spiritually? What happens when we stop spinning the top? Similarly, what happens if we stop saying our prayers or going to church? You may want to reference the “Spiritual Manna” section of Elder Bassett’s article.

If our “spiritual batteries” are charged and strong, the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion. Before family home evening, make two lists of actions: (1) things that drain our spiritual batteries (such as lying, being mean to a brother/sister, skipping scripture study) and (2) things that charge them (such as paying tithing, visiting the sick, partaking of the sacrament). Read each item aloud. Ask the children to go to the left side of the room if the action drains our spiritual batteries and to the right if it charges them. Encourage them to choose the right

Always Remember Him

Judges CHAPTER 2

An angel rebukes Israel for not serving the Lord—As a pattern of future events, a new generation arises that forsakes the Lord and serves Baal and Ashtaroth—The Lord is angry with the children of Israel and ceases to preserve them—He raises up judges to guide and lead them—The Canaanites are left in the land to test Israel.

Judges 2:10.

After Joshua died, the next generation of Israelites “knew not the Lord.” Talk with your family about how they know the Lord and “the works which he [has] done” for them. How will you ensure that this knowledge will be preserved for future generations? (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16”)

How do we come to know the Lord? Through scripture study, prayer, sacrament, living the commandments. etc.

Friend June 2019 “The Sacrament Reminds Us of Jesus Christ” Ways to prepare for the sacrament before hand, what to do during the sacrament, and remembering Jesus and following him after the sacrament.

New Era March 2008 “How Can I Come to Know Christ?”

Friend November 2017 “Family Night Fun” Ways you can look for blessings every day.

Spiritual Strength comes from faithfulness to my covenants with God.

Judges 13–16

Samson lost both his physical strength and his spiritual strength because he violated his covenants with God,

Judges CHAPTER 13

Israel is in Philistine bondage for forty years—An angel comes to Manoah’s wife and promises a son who will begin to deliver Israel—The angel comes again; he ascends in a flame from the altar—Samson is born, and the Spirit of the Lord moves upon him.

Judges CHAPTER 14

Samson slays a young lion with his bare hands—He marries a Philistine wife, propounds a riddle, is deceived by his wife, and slays thirty Philistines.

Judges CHAPTER 15

Samson burns the grain of the Philistines—They burn his wife and father-in-law—Samson slays a thousand Philistines at Lehi with the jawbone of an ass.

Judges CHAPTER 16

Samson carries away the doors of the gate of Gaza—He loves Delilah, who delivers him to the Philistines—He destroys a building, killing himself and 3,000 others.

Media Library “Samson Pulls Down the Pillars”

“Lesson 25: Samson,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 110–13 Samson’s mission would require physical strength. The Lord made a covenant with Samson that as long as he obeyed the Lord, he would be physically strong. Samson’s long hair (see Judges 13:5) was a sign of this covenant. When Samson kept his covenants he was blessed with the ability to help his people, but when he broke his covenants he lost both his spiritual and physical strength.

What happens when people become spiritually weak? (They give in to temptations, they sin, they lose the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and they lose the ability to fulfill their callings and bless others.)

How are we blessed when we keep our covenants and are spiritually strong?

  1. Before class identify a strength you have observed in each child. Write a note to each one telling of this strength, such as, “Dear , you are strong in coming to Primary each week.” Some other ideas might include:
    • Being kind to others
    • Sharing your testimony
    • Helping your parents
    • Being a peacemaker
    • Being a good friend
    • Reading the scriptures
  2. Point out that we all have different kinds of strengths. Heavenly Father needs us to use these strengths to serve him and to serve others. Read aloud each note you have prepared, without reading the names, and then give them to the children. Help the children realize that these are only some of the many strengths Heavenly Father has blessed them with. Give the children an opportunity to mention other strengths they have observed in class members. Encourage them to develop these and other strengths during the coming week.

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16” Samson’s covenants with the Lord gave him strength, just as our covenants give us strength. Your family might enjoy doing some physical exercises and discussing how those exercises can help make us strong. What can we do to help us become spiritually stronger? For some ideas, family members could read Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79. How does keeping our covenants give us spiritual strength?

“Lesson 25: Samson,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 110–13 Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate how to flex his or her arm muscles. Let the whole class try it to see if they can feel their own muscles. You may want to let two children arm wrestle or pull sticks (a game Joseph Smith enjoyed). To pull sticks, have two boys sit on the floor facing each other, legs extended, knees bent, and the soles of their feet touching. Have each boy grasp the same large stick and try to pull the other up until he is standing on his feet.

  • How do muscles help us? Discuss what happens when we exercise our muscles and what happens when we do not use them. Help the children realize that exercise helps us develop strong muscles.
  • Explain that our spirits also need to grow stronger. How can we become stronger spiritually? (By keeping our baptismal covenants, obeying our parents, praying, attending church, reading the scriptures, and so on.)
  • Why is it important to become spiritually strong? (So we can avoid temptation, be guided in our decisions by the Holy Ghost, and know good from evil.)

Help the children understand that we need to develop spiritual strength just as we need to develop physical strength.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can help me know how to improve.

Psalm 139:23–24

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022

Psalm 139 teaches that God knows everything about us, including our strengths and weaknesses. If we turn to Him, He can teach us what we need to do to become more like Him.

  • Write the words of Psalm 139:23–24 on the board, and invite the children to underline words that describe things God can do for us. Why would we want God to do these things? How can we invite Him to “lead [us] in the way everlasting”?

Friend August 2020 “Let God Prevail!” President Russel M. Nelson tells what it means to let God prevail in our lives.

Friend January 2021 “The Party Problem” Luz felt uneasy about going to a graduation party. It didn’t sound like the kind of party where she’d be able to feel the Holy Ghost. She thought about it, made her choice not to go, and then asked Heavenly Father if that was the right choice. Afterwards she felt a wave of warmth and light and knew she had made the right choice.

  • Encourage the children to “search” their own lives for ways they can improve in the four areas of focus in the Children and Youth program—spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual. Remind them that the Lord knows how they can improve in each of these areas, and encourage them to seek His guidance.

Friend June 2021 “Children and Youth Challenge” Do some activities from this board for the Children and Youth program! Can you cross off five in a row?

  • Sing a song about how Heavenly Father can help us improve, such as the second verse of “Help Me, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, 99). Share how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have helped you improve.

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 7-10”

Zeniff admitted that he had made mistakes. He was overzealous at times, and he had put his people—the ancestors of Limhi’s people—in a difficult situation by making an ill-advised agreement with King Laman. But later, when he went to battle against the Lamanites, he helped his people face their challenges with faith. As you read Mosiah 9–10, look for what Zeniff’s people did to show their faith. How did God strengthen them? What does it mean to you to go forth “in the strength of the Lord”? (Mosiah 9:17; 10:10–11).

When I am weak, the Lord can strengthen me.

Mosiah 9:14–18; 10:10–11

Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Mosiah 7-10”

  • When children face challenges, they sometimes feel weak and helpless. How will you help your children rely on the Lord’s strength? You could ask them what we do to become physically strong. What does it mean to have “the strength of men”? (see Mosiah 10:11). What does it mean to have “the strength of the Lord”? (see Mosiah 9:17–18; 10:10). How do we receive the strength of the Lord? Your children could draw a picture of things that help them receive the strength of the Lord.

The Red Crystal

The Cozy Red Cottage Download activity at link

Friend April 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Mosiah 9:17–18 together and help your little ones say, “God will help me be strong.” Set out objects of different weights and have your children try to lift each one. Then show them that with your help, they can lift so much more! Testify that God will help us be strong enough to do hard things when we trust Him.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 7-10” Invite the children to draw a picture of someone who they feel has the strength of the Lord and share why they drew this person.

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 7-10” When the Lamanites attacked, the people of Zeniff were physically and spiritually ready. What can we learn from Zeniff and his people about preparing for challenges?

News with Naylors

Oct 9 2016

Lesson 38: Peace Among the Nephites

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Lesson 38: Peace among the Nephites

Preparation

  • Items needed: two large, clear plastic cups, string, a dowel rod or ruler, a clear glass of water, food coloring, a large clear glass bowl, pencils, a small scoop of dirt in a baggie, tape, tacky wax, chalk and eraser, one sheet of colored card stock, a black marker, and small bag of butter mints.
  • Measuring scale assembly instructions: Punch two holes beneath the top edge of each plastic cup (the holes should be evenly spaced and on opposites sides of the cup). Cut two 24 inch pieces of string. Stick one end of one of the strings through a hole on one of the cups, then stick the other end through the other hole. Tie the ends into knots. Do the same with the other cup and string. Cut another piece of string 40 inches long and tie the ends together so it forms a loop. Hang it around the center of the dowel rod and tape down the string on the dowel. Hang the top of the string loop on a door handle and make sure the dowel rod sits evenly. Make adjustments if needed. Loop each cup’s string over an end of the dowel rod and tape down the string on the dowel. The scale should sit evenly. Once again make adjustments if needed.
  • Print and cutout all the signs. Tape the end of the arrow to the center of the dowel rod so the arrow points up. Using tacky wax, attach all the small words to the cardstock in random order.
  • Print one crossword puzzle for each person in the class. Print and cut out some healthy food items and some junk food items (from clipartix). Print the scripture story pictures or display them on an electronic device.
  • Before class starts, hang the scale on a clip or tack at the top of the board. Attach the sign “Health” in-between the cups on the scale. Attach the smiley face to the left of the scale and the sad face to the right. Put the cup of water and the food colorings in the clear glass bowl to help protect against spillage.

Attention Activity

Show the children the scale. Explain that our physical bodies need the nutrients that are found in healthy food choices in order to sustain good health. Add pictures of healthy foods to the left cup, and the scale arrow will point to the smiley face which represents good health.

  • What happens if we decrease the amount of healthy foods we eat (take off the healthy foods) and increase our consumption of junk food like candy bars, chips, soda, (put these items in the right scale cup)? (Good health could decrease.)

Explain that just as our bodies need proper nourishment to be healthy and strong, our spirits also need proper nourishment to be healthy and strong. (Put the sign “Spiritual” above the health sign, and take off the junk food items from the scale.)

  • What does our spirit need in order to be healthy and strong? (Spiritual food such as scripture study, prayer, church attendance, etc.)

Scripture Story

(Show the children the story pictures as you tell the story.

  1. Explain that after Jesus departed from the Nephites, the disciples continued to teach the people, and within a few years all the people in the land were converted to the Lord.
  2. The people listened to the disciple’s teachings. They repented and were baptized, and they received the Holy Ghost. Their spirits were nourished. (Write the things they did to nourish their spirits on the healthy food pictures. Tape them on the left scale cup as you mention each item.)

Have the children look up 4 Nephi 1:12 to find out what other ways the people nourished their spirits. (Have the children write the items they find on the healthy food pictures and put them in the left cup.) (They kept the commandments, fasted, prayed, and they attended church to hear the word of God.)

Explain that when our spirits are strong and nourished we tend to make righteous choices, and making good choices helps our happiness levels increase. Explain that because the Nephites nourished their spirits and were committed to following Jesus’s teachings, their happiness level increased. According to 4 Nephi 1:16 there never was a happier people.

Activity

Show the children the cardstock with the words on it. Have them take off the words they associate with happiness and put them under the smiley face. Then hand out a crossword puzzle and a pencil to each child. Have the children take turns reading the clues and finding the word on the board that matches the clue. Put a check mark next to the word if it is the correct word. Have the children write the answer in the correct spot on their crossword puzzle. Explain that the clues and words tell us what the Nephites experienced as a result of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(See the following answers for discussion ideas on some of the words.)

Activity Answers

Fairness/Every man did deal justly one with another.

Sharing/They had all things common among them. (There were no poor.)

  • What does it mean that the people had “all things common among them”? Each person gave the extra he produced (crops, flocks, etc), and this extra was used for those who were in need of help.

Healing/All manner of miracles did they work.  (Read 4 Nephi 1:5)  The miracles included healing the lame, the blind, the deaf, and raising the dead.)

Peace/There were no contentions, strifes, or tumults in the land.  (Meaning there was no fighting, arguing, riots, or war.)

Charity/The love of God … did dwell in the hearts of the people.

Goodwill/There were no envyings.  (There was no jealousy. There was only gladness that others were blessed.)

Honesty/There were no … lyings.

Safety/There were no robbers or murderers.

Virtue/There were no whoredoms nor any manner of lasciviousness (crude behavior). (The people were chaste and clean.)

Unity/ There were no divisions of race or class. (There was no manner of “ites.” The people were no longer divided into Nephites and Lamanites but were united.)

Help the children understand that each one of the clues in the crossword puzzle relates to how we treat people. Help them see that the most important key to happiness is how we treat others. When we live the gospel, we treat each other with love and kindness, and as a result we enjoy greater peace and happiness in our lives.

Scripture Story Continued

3) The people were blessed in all their doings because of their righteousness. They prospered and built cities. They were strong and multiplied. The people lived in peace for many years. After nearly 200 years, two generations had passed on, and the people had multiplied and had spread out over all the land.

4) Then sin slowly started creeping into the land again.

Object Lesson

Show the children the glass of water, and put one drop of blue food coloring into the water. Have the children watch it spread throughout the glass and observe how quickly one little drop spreads. Explain that if people allow themselves to be exposed to a little sin, it can quickly grow and spread if left unchecked. We need to be careful about what we allow into our thoughts and lives.

4) The people had become very rich because of their prosperity in Christ, and they began allowing pride to take a hold in their lives. (4 Nephi 1:23-24)  The people began to wear expensive clothing, jewelry, and other fine things of the world. From that time forth the people did not have their goods and their substance common among them. (4 Nephi 1:25)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said this about pride: “At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with ‘Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,’ it always seems to end with ‘Therefore, I am better than you.’

The people began to focus on themselves instead of helping others. (Put the words “selfishness” and “poverty” on the right side of the board. Do the same for the italicized words as they are mentioned below.)

Have the children read 4 Nephi 1:26-27 & 29 to find the ways pride and sin began to spread. Put a different colored drop of food coloring in the water for every item mentioned. (The water should turn brown.)

  • They once again began to be divided into social classes. (Inequality)
  • They built many different churches to themselves (not to God). The churches were built up to help people get gain (Greed). They denied the true church of Christ.
  • These churches professed to know Christ but denied most parts of his gospel. (These people were no longer nourishing their spirits with the teachings of Christ and they were becoming spiritually weaker and weaker.) (Take out the items from the left side cup on the scale.)
  • The churches became open to all manner of wickedness. They allowed the wicked to participate in sacred ordinances.
  • One of the churches denied Christ and persecuted the members of the true church of Christ because of the members’ humility and belief in Christ. (Persecution) They despised them because of the many miracles which were wrought among them. (Hate) (Jealousy)

Point out that as the people let wickedness into their lives, it spread. Have the children observe the color of the water, and explain that instead of nourishing their spirits, they filled their lives with worthless, self-indulgent thoughts, and their choice became increasingly wicked. They were filling their lives with darkness and dirt. (Put the dirt in the cup on the right side of the scale.) The choices they made resulted in misery and unhappiness for many people.

5) Among the true church of Christ were three disciples that Jesus had given power to remain on the earth until his second coming. Before Jesus Christ departed, he had asked each of his twelve Nephite disciples what they desired of him. Nine requested to speedily return to him when their ministry on the earth was complete.

6) Three of the disciples asked to remain on the earth to bring souls unto Christ. Those three became translated beings who would not taste death.

7) Those who denied Christ began to try and exercise power and authority over the three disciples. They cast them into prison; but by the power of God which was in them, the prisons were broken and they came out. They also cast the disciples into fiery furnaces and into dens of wild beasts, and from each place they came out unharmed. (4 Nephi 1:30, 33)

  • Why didn’t the people repent, realize their mistake, and change their ways after seeing these mighty miracles of God? (Their hearts were set upon wickedness. They wanted to do all manner of iniquity.) (4 Nephi 1:34)

The people dwindled more and more in unbelief and wickedness from year to year. Point out that the people had been given the wonderful blessing of the gospel. Show the children the butter mints and explain that they represent gospel blessings. Give each child a couple of mints to eat. Point out how sweet and wonderful they are. Put two mints in the water near the side of the glass so they are visible to the class. Ask the children to watch what happens to them in the dirty water. (They will dwindle away and disappear.) Explain that the Nephite’s faith and blessings dwindled and wasted away as the people increased in wickedness.

8) Once again the people began to divide into different groups of “ites.” Those who did rebel against God were called Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmealites. They did teach their children that they should not believe. The children were taught to hate the children of God, just as the Lamanites had taught their children to hate the Nephites. The wicked grew in numbers and became more numerous than the people of God. The more wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton. The robbers of Gadianton spread over all the land. (4 Nephi 1:34-39) (Add “Theft” and “Murder” to the right side of the board.)

9) Eventually, even those who were called the people of Nephi began to be proud in their hearts because of their exceeding riches, and they become vain like unto their brethren the Lamanites. (4 Nephi 1:43) After three hundred years had passed from the time of Christ, both the Nephites and the Lamanites had become exceedingly wicked.

Conclusion

Explain that just as our bodies feel miserable and sick when we are unwell, we can experience misery and unhappiness in our lives when our spirits are not strong and healthy because we tend to make choices that lead to unhappiness. In the next lesson we will learn about the increasingly terrible and sorrowful things that occurred among the Nephites because of the poor choices they made as a result of allowing wickedness into their lives. (Put the words “War” and “Destruction” on the right side of the board.)

Point out the lists under happiness and unhappiness and ask the children which they would prefer. Remind the children that if they desire to live lives filled with the blessings of happiness and peace, they must strive to follow the Savior and his teachings. Remind the children that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to make good choices that lead to happiness.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: 3 Nephi 28:1-9 &  4 Nephi 1:1-18, 23–46