God’s power comes from his character. It is the embodiment of his characteristics of wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment that make him God. These attributes, coupled with his knowledge of all things, are what enables him to have all power.
The great power of God seems to be a significant difference between him and us. The Lord’s ability to endure difficulty or perform miracles is not the source of our differences, but an effect stemming from them. The root of the differences between us and God lies in our character, as it is our character that is the source of strength and power in him and in us. There is an unbroken path of steps to attaining his character, no matter how different from him you are. God has more strength and power than you do because he:
- Knows more than you do.
- Understands better than you do.
- Has faith to pursue longer-term benefits and endure greater hardships than you.
- Is more honest than you are.
- Is more just than you are.
- Is more willing to suffer for others than you are.
As you acquire his intelligence, desires, and love, you will also grow in his strength and power.3
The power of God comes through obtaining the character of God.4 Before the world was created, Jesus Christ was with the Father,5 and had acquired his character.6 The Lord made all things in accordance with the power and purpose of the Father,7 both of which came through his knowledge of and adherence to the character of the Father.8 Just as the Son gained his power through obtaining the character of the Father,9 you can gain the power of the Son through obtaining the character of the Son.10
You have to actually become like God to have power like God. It is through learning and living the character of God that you increasingly obtain God’s power. Power from God is a question of similitude to God. The “powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” (D&C 121:36) Righteousness means similitude with God. Priesthood doesn’t just require righteousness—it is righteousness. Those who desire to serve God must build and exercise faith, hope, charity, and love, uniquely focusing on learning and living God’s purpose with all their heart, might, mind, and strength.11
To obtain the outcomes of Jesus, you have to adopt the character of Jesus. Only by possessing his attributes can you be more like he is, and only by being more like he is in quality can you be more like he is in outcome. All of the Lord’s outcomes are tied to all of his attributes. The only ones who will obtain the fullness of God’s outcomes are those who have become indistinguishable from Christ, and no one will receive any of God’s outcomes except to the degree they have become like Christ.227
God does not act contrary to his character, and you will not enjoy his power while you act contrary to his character.228 Your ability to call down miracles from heaven is directly proportional to the completeness of your reconciliation to God.229 You can’t work “...a miracle in the name of Jesus save [you are] cleansed every whit from [your] iniquity.” (3 Nephi 8:1) “Every whit” means in totality. If elements of your life are contrary to his will, as you understand it, you will not have his power in your life, and you will suffer unnecessarily.
God’s power is not a binary attribute. God’s power is obtained and held by degrees, because God is known and obeyed by degrees. The more of his character you learn and live up to, the more of God’s power you will have.230 The more accurately your desires, thoughts, and actions approximate God’s, the more his power will flow231 in and through you in every aspect of your life.232
Footnotes
- 1. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) ↩
- 2. Such as a famine, war, or natural disaster. ↩
- 3. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. (Isaiah 11:5) ↩
- 4. ...the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. (D&C 121:36) ↩
- 5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) ↩
- 6. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:5) ↩
- 7. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3) ↩
- 8. And I, God, called the light Day; and the darkness, I called Night; and this I did by the word of my power, and it was done as I spake; and the evening and the morning were the first day. (Moses 2:5) ↩
- 9. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:10) ↩
- 10. The seat of God’s power is righteousness, and all in his kingdom will come through and take the place characterized by the righteousness they seek, find, and obey (Psalm 40:6, Author’s Reflection) ...a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8) ↩
- 11. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. (D&C 4:2-5) ↩