You place the entire congregation under covenant with the Lord

When you priests of the Aaronic Priesthood administer the sacrament, you are doing what Jesus did while He was yet in the flesh, and which He also did when He ministered among the Nephites following His resurrection.

When you, as a priest, kneel at the sacrament table and offer up the prayer, which came by revelation, you place the entire congregation under covenant with the Lord. Is this a small thing? It is a most important and remarkable thing.

Now, my dear young brethren, if we are to enjoy the ministering of angels, if we are to teach the gospel of repentance, if we are to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins, if we are to administer to the membership of the Church the emblems of the sacrifice of our Lord, then we must be worthy to do so.

You cannot consistently so serve on the Sabbath and fail to live the standards of the Church during the week. It is totally wrong for you to take the name of the Lord in vain and indulge in filthy and unseemly talk at school or at work, and then kneel at the sacrament table on Sunday. You cannot drink beer or partake of illegal drugs and be worthy of the ministering of angels. You cannot be immoral in talk or in practice and expect the Lord to honor your service in teaching repentance or baptizing for the remission of sins. As those holding His holy priesthood, you must be worthy fellow servants.

Gordon B. Hinckley, The Aaronic Priesthood--A Gift from God, General Conference April 1988

Don't Ever Give Up. Keep Going. Don't Quit. Remember, It's What You Do With What You Have That Makes You Who You Are

President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) stated, “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body.” The Gospel Principles manual teaches us that “Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities.”

Heavenly Father placed you in the best place to use your spiritual gifts and build your talents. No matter where you live or what life circumstances you find yourself in, you can make the choice to succeed, regardless of your challenges. Don’t ever give up. Keep going. Don’t quit. Remember, it’s what you do with what you have that makes you who you are.

Adam and Eve’s example can give us a lot of hope. After they transgressed the commandment not to partake of the forbidden fruit, they were cast out of a beautiful garden, the ground was cursed, thorns and thistles appeared, and they had to work and till the earth to provide for themselves. They did not give up. They went to work, as the Lord had commanded them (see Moses 5:1). Their son Cain made a very bad choice, but they continued to live righteously and kept teaching their children.

Where Am I?: How to Discover and Develop Your Spiritual Gifts and Talents Dec. 2014 New Era Mervyn B. Arnold

When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught how trials can shape us: “Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Proverbs 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion [two very important gifts] which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”

Where Am I?: How to Discover and Develop Your Spiritual Gifts and Talents Dec. 2014 New Era Mervyn B. Arnold

Spiritual Gifts

This entire talk is an excellent study in the gifts of the Spirit:

We need to distinguish between a manifestation of the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

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In summary, the Spirit of Christ is given to all men and women that they may know good from evil, and manifestations of the Holy Ghost are given to lead earnest seekers to repentance and baptism. These are preparatory gifts. What we term spiritual gifts come next.

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Spiritual Gifts Sept. 1986 Ensign Dallin H. Oaks

It is vital for us to honor the distinction between the prophetic gift and the prophetic office, between a prophet and the prophet.

The scriptures often use the word prophet and its derivatives in the broad sense of one who teaches and testifies of God. When the prophet Moses was asked to forbid two men who “prophesied in the camp,” he refused, expressing the wish “that all the Lord’s people were prophets.” (Num. 11:26, 29.) The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should “desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” (1 Cor. 14:1.) The Book of Mormon describes various times in which there were many prophets. (See 1 Ne. 1:4; W of M 1:16–18.) In our day, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith declared that “all members of the Church should seek for the gift of prophecy, for their own guidance, which is the spirit by which the word of the Lord is understood and his purpose made known.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 3 vols., Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co., 1953, 1:201.)

It is important for us to understand the distinction between a prophet, who has the spiritual gift of prophecy, and the prophet, who has the prophetic office.

Some who have had the gift of prophecy have forgotten this distinction. Miriam, who is referred to as a prophetess (see Num. 12:2), and Aaron, who was a priest, disagreed with one of the decisions of the prophet, Moses. The Bible describes how they “spake against Moses.” (Num. 12:1.) Moses, who the scriptures say was “meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Num. 12: 3), may not have been able to hold his own in a debate with this rebellious priest and prophetess. But the Lord was aware of the circumstance and came into the controversy on the side of his prophet. The Bible tells us how the Lord “came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle.” (Num. 12:5.) He rebuked and punished Miriam and Aaron for speaking against his prophet.

It is vital for us to honor the distinction between the prophetic gift and the prophetic office, between a prophet and the prophet.

Spiritual Gifts Sept. 1986 Ensign Dallin H. Oaks

No man nor sect of men without the regular constituted authorities, the Priesthood and discerning of spirits, can tell true from false spirits.

This power of discernment is essential if we are to distinguish between genuine spiritual gifts and the counterfeits Satan seeks to use to deceive men and women and thwart the work of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the spirit of God.” (Teachings, p. 205.) He also taught that “no man nor sect of men without the regular constituted authorities, the Priesthood and discerning of spirits, can tell true from false spirits.” (Teachings, p. 213.)

Spiritual Gifts, Sept. 1986, Ensign Dallin H. Oaks 

“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect.

We should seek after spiritual gifts. They can lead us to God. They can shield us from the power of the adversary. They can compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections. Almost a century ago President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency taught the Saints:
“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. … No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lacks wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth.” (Millennial Star, Apr. 1894, p. 260.)

Spiritual Gifts, Sept. 1986, Ensign Dallin H. Oaks 

The extension of mercy will not be automatic. It will be through covenant with Him.

The extension of mercy will not be automatic. It will be through covenant with Him. It will be on His terms, His generous terms, which include, as an absolute essential, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.

Boyd K. Packer, The Mediator, April 1977 General Conference

As leaders we must..avoid putting unnecessary burdens on our members.

As leaders we must strictly protect the Church and the gospel in its purity and plainness and avoid putting unnecessary burdens on our members.

It Works Wonderfully, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference October 2015

When we chase after shadows, we are pursuing matters that have little substance and value.

Not long ago I saw a quote that made me stop and think. It went like this: “Tell a man there are trillions of stars in the universe, and he’ll believe you. Tell him there’s wet paint on the wall, and he’ll touch it just to be sure.”

Aren’t we all a little bit like this? After a recent medical procedure, my very capable doctors explained what I needed to do to heal properly. But first I had to relearn something about myself I should have known for a long time: as a patient, I’m not very patient.

Consequently I decided to expedite the healing process by undertaking my own Internet search. I suppose I expected to discover truth of which my doctors were unaware or had tried to keep from me.

It took me a little while before I realized the irony of what I was doing. Of course, researching things for ourselves is not a bad idea. But I was disregarding truth I could rely on and instead found myself being drawn to the often-outlandish claims of Internet lore.

Sometimes, the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value. So we set aside what we have experienced and know to be true in pursuit of more mysterious or complicated information. Hopefully we will learn that when we chase after shadows, we are pursuing matters that have little substance and value.

It Works Wonderfully, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference October 2015

The world needs people who can keep their word, who have a code of honor, and who can finish a task and endure to the end.

The world needs people who can keep their word, who have a code of honor, and who can finish a task and endure to the end...concentrate on getting an education, growing spiritually, and graduating.

I testify to you that you are among the very noble on earth. You are the future leaders of our society and the Church. You need not look like the world. You need not entertain like the world. Your personal habits should be different. Your recreation should be different. Your concern for family will be different. As you establish this distinctiveness firmly in your life’s pattern, the blessings of heaven await to assist you.

Gifts of the Spirit, ROBERT D. HALES, Aug. 1, 1993 BYU Devotional