Strength to Become

Karen Papin
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Insights from the lessons in the For the Strength of Youth Guide. karenpapin.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    Priesthood Keys — For the Strength of Youth (FSY) Lesson, September Week 3 (September 20, 2026)

    This week on Strength to Become, with host, Karen Papin, we’re diving into the For the Strength of Youth (FSY) lesson for the week of September 20, 2026 — all about priesthood keys and the blessings they unlock in our lives. In week one of this FSY lesson series, we looked at how we’re blessed by priesthood keys and authority. In week two, we explored blessings specific to the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods. Now, in this September week 3 FSY lesson, we go deeper — exploring what delegated priesthood authority really means, what it looks like to represent God and act in His name, and the blessings the Lord unlocks for us through priesthood keys. We’ll walk through the “For the Strength of Youth” magazine’s comparison of priesthood keys to the keys of a car, and what that teaches us about preparation and permission in receiving God’s blessings. Then we’ll dig into scripture together — Doctrine and Covenants sections 13, 27, 107, and 110 — tracing each heavenly messenger (John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John, Moses, Elias, and Elijah) and the specific priesthood keys each one restored to the earth. Resources mentioned in this episode: * For the Strength of Youth magazine, September 2026 issue (Week 3 lesson) * Quote from Elder Gary E. Stevenson, For the Strength of Youth magazine * Quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2005 General Conference (referenced via a May 2015 article) * Doctrine and Covenants 13; 27:12–13; 107:8, 18–19; 110:11–16 * Gospel Topics entry on the Abrahamic covenant Next week, we’ll continue this FSY lesson series with a discussion on becoming a covenant daughter or son of God. If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to have you follow along with more reflections and teaching over on my Substack, and be sure to check out the Divine Worth Podcast for more on faith, purpose, and becoming who God sees in you. If you'd like to hear more from Karen, check out the Divine Worth Podcast → https://karenpapin.substack.com/listen/divine-worth-podcast Karen Papin’s substack: Beloved & Becoming: karenpapin.substack.com Disclaimer: This podcast is not produced, endorsed, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All views, opinions, and interpretations shared are my own. Transcript: Welcome to Strength to Become, the podcast where we are diving into the For the Strength of Youth lessons so that we can become closer to the Savior Jesus Christ and have the strength to become who He sees in us. This week we are learning more about priesthood keys. This is September 2026, and we are on week three in the lessons. The first week we did a little overview of the things we’ve been learning this month — how we are blessed by priesthood keys and authority. The second week we really dived into blessings specific to the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood, and how much we are blessed by those. And this week we are learning more about the priesthood keys, which actually deepens the blessings that we receive as well. The questions brought up in the lesson can be found in the For the Strength of Youth magazine, September 2026 — week three’s lesson. Within that, there are several different questions you can discuss, and then an activity where you can dive into the scriptures and learn even more together. Discussion Questions What is delegated priesthood authority? Great question to really help us understand that we are given delegated priesthood authority when we are set apart for a calling or we receive an assignment under someone who has those priesthood keys within that assignment. Discuss what it means to represent God and act in His name. I love that, because what if — when we are serving in our callings — we came from this place of “I am representing God, and I am acting in His name”? Before we go and do, we become centered in why we are doing these things, in this idea that we are representing God. So I think that is a great question to really discuss: what does that mean to you, and what does it mean to act in His name? That’s something we’re already striving to do when we are baptized — we take upon us Christ’s name — and when we take of the sacrament, we renew that promise that we are taking upon Him His name. This question is applicable to all of us. I know as a missionary, taking upon His name felt even more tangible in a way, because when we serve a mission we wear our name tags, and right there it says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on it. We are literally putting a name badge on to represent Him. I remember how I felt being able to wear my name tag in those moments when I remembered who I was representing. Because it’s not just about making a commitment to act in a way the Savior would like me to act — it is also a strength. As we take upon us His name, He is there with us. And when we are mindful of who we are representing, we can feel that the Lord is there with us, helping us fulfill that promise. What blessings does the Lord unlock for us through priesthood keys? The magazine compares the priesthood keys to physical keys — how physical keys unlock things and allow you to do things when you have that key. The priesthood is the same way. There’s a quote from Elder Gary E. Stevenson in the For the Strength of Youth magazine: “Priesthood authority and priesthood keys start the engine, open the gates of heaven, facilitate heavenly power, and pave the covenant path back to our loving Heavenly Father.” What I love about the magazine is that it takes this a little further and asks: why can’t you drive your neighbor’s car? What would you need to do in order to do so? And what does this comparison teach you about priesthood keys? To drive another person’s car, you need permission. You show up, you prove that you are responsible. There are certain things we do in order to unlock the blessings that Heavenly Father wants to give us. As a mom, as a parent, there’s so much I want to give my kids, and yet I also know they need to go through certain lessons so that, in order for them to receive the rewards I may have for them, they need to do certain things. The same is true when it comes to priesthood keys and the blessings associated with them. We prepare ourselves to be able to receive those blessings — we do the things we need to do in order to open the gates of heaven. And it’s all done in the love of our Heavenly Father, who wants us to learn and grow. This reminds me of a time on my mission. I served on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. We would take people to the Christus statue and play a recording of scriptures the Savior spoke, and then bear our testimonies afterward. I remember my companion pointing out the scripture where Christ says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” She talked about how God gives us commandments because He loves us. I thought that was such an interesting way to look at it — God gives us commandments because He loves us. Our Heavenly Father knows the things that will bring us the most joy, the things that will set us up for the most success in life. He has given us commandments to help us bring more joy into our lives, to become more resilient, so that when hard times come, we can overcome them. That’s what commandments do for us — they are given to us because God loves us. Sometimes we feel like these commandments, or needing to do things in order to receive priesthood blessings, are restricting — when in actuality they are there to help us feel God’s love more, and to help us live in a way that makes us more resilient and able to create more joy in our lives. So that’s why I particularly love that question: What do you need to do in order to drive your neighbor’s car? What do you need to do in order to access the priesthood authority Heavenly Father gives you when you are called, set apart, or receive an assignment from one of your leaders? What do you need to do in order to receive even greater priesthood blessings — the ones that come from the temple? The temple is a place we prepare ourselves to enter. Everyone is invited to go to the temple; however, in order to actually enter, we prepare ourselves to be able to do so. That preparation exists to help us be prepared and ready. What priesthood keys has the Lord restored to the earth today? Last week we talked about the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood and the blessings that come from each. This week’s question asks: what priesthood keys has the Lord restored to earth today? Scripture Activity This activity involves reading scripture and identifying the heavenly messengers who restored priesthood keys, and specifically which keys were restored. Doctrine and Covenants 13 (John the Baptist) “Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. And this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.” John the Baptist came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them these keys. We talked a little about the keys of the ministering of angels last week. This also restored the priesthood authority to baptize in the name of the Savior, and the authority to be baptized by immersion and receive a remission of sins through repentance. Doctrine and Covenants 27:12–13 (Peter, James, and John) “And also with Peter and James and John, whom I sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles and special witnesses of my name... and bear the keys of your ministry... unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times, and for the fullness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things, both w

    Priesthood Keys — For the Strength of Youth (FSY) Lesson, September Week 3 (September 20, 2026)

  2. Sep 8

    FSY Ep 2 | The Restoration of the Priesthood: How It Blesses Us Today | For the Strength of Youth

    Episode Description This week on Strength to Become, we’re digging into the For the Strength of Youth lesson on the restoration of the priesthood — and why it matters so much for our relationship with the Savior. We’ll walk through the history of the priesthood being lost and then restored through Joseph Smith, and unpack what the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods actually mean for us, including what it looks like to hold “the keys of the ministering of angels.” Grab your scriptures and your September For the Strength of Youth magazine and let’s study together. 🎧 Love this episode? Check out my other podcast, Divine Worth, for more on faith, fear, and becoming who God sees in you: karenpapin.substack.com/listen/divine-worth-podcast Transcript Welcome to the Strength to Become podcast, where we are diving into the For the Strength of Youth lessons so that we can strengthen our relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ, in order to become who He sees in us. This week we are talking about the restoration of the priesthood, and why it’s so important that there was this restoration. During Christ’s visit here on earth, He gave that priesthood authority to His apostles. Over a thousand years later, in the 1800s, Joseph Smith had his remarkable vision and then received these priesthoods — the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood. So over a period of time, the priesthood was lost from the earth. One thing I find interesting is that they even refer to that gap in time as “the dark ages.” And then after that, all of this progress begins to happen — and it’s interesting to see that history, because you can see how the Lord prepared the world for His gospel being restored onto this earth today. The United States of America being created so we could have religious freedom, setting the stage for Joseph Smith to be able to have his vision, to receive the Aaronic priesthood and then the Melchizedek priesthood — it’s kind of cool to look through that historical timeline and see how the Lord really does reveal things when we are ready to receive them. And that was the case with this restoration of the gospel that we now have here on this earth. So let’s look at the lesson you can find in the magazine, For the Strength of Youth, the September edition, week two, which is where we’re at. It splits into two questions: How does the Savior bless us through the Aaronic priesthood, and how does the Savior bless us through the Melchizedek priesthood? Let’s talk about the Aaronic priesthood first. The Aaronic Priesthood There are two scriptures listed for this. Let’s open those up. The first is Doctrine and Covenants section 13, verse 1: Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for remission of sins, and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do again offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. There’s a beautiful blessing there. Because really, as you look throughout history, there are periods of time where we’d have a prophet on this earth, and then a period of darkness. Then a prophet would come again and lead the people to righteousness, and then there’d be another falling away. You see that throughout the entire history of man. Here we are given this promise that that’s not going to happen again — the gospel is going to remain upon this earth. A beautiful promise, and that can give us so much hope. In the scripture it talks about the blessings we receive from having the Aaronic priesthood in our lives: first, the keys of the ministering of angels; then the gospel of repentance; and also the baptism by immersion for remission of sins. Section 107:20 goes into that as well: The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments. It mentions those things again — the keys of the ministering of angels — and it adds a little more, saying to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, and the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Now, what do all of these things actually mean? I had to search a little more, because I thought, what does it actually mean to hold the keys of the ministering of angels? What does that mean, and how does that apply to me as a woman in the gospel as well? In October 1998, then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk titled “The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament”. In it he says: How does the Aaronic priesthood hold the key to the ministering of angels? The answer is the same as for the Spirit of the Lord. In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier, through the Aaronic priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants, we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost, but also to the ministering of angels. For angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore they speak the words of Christ. So it is that those who hold the Aaronic priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels. Because we have the Aaronic priesthood, and we have this great blessing of being able to repent and be baptized and continually partake of the sacrament, we have the key to the ministering of angels. Another important thing to note is that there are different ways we can experience the ministering of angels. President Oaks also goes into that: Nephi described three manifestations of the ministering of angels when he reminded his rebellious brothers that, one, they had seen an angel; two, they had heard his voice from time to time; and three, that an angel had spoken unto them in a still, small voice, though they were past feeling and could not feel his words. The scriptures contain many other statements that angels are sent to teach the gospel and bring men to Christ. Most angelic communications are felt or heard rather than seen. So as members of the Church — as those who have been baptized, who are renewing those promises of baptism each week as we take of the sacrament, as we can repent and learn and grow through the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ — we are able, most of the time not seen, to be guided by these ministering angels. Another blessing of the Aaronic priesthood is the baptismal ordinance and being able to be cleansed from our sins because of the Savior Jesus Christ, and making those covenants with Him through baptism. That is truly one of the greatest blessings we have: knowing that our mistakes do not define us. Our mistakes are not what’s keeping us from being able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again, because we can overcome them as we humble ourselves and repent and turn to the Savior. There is so much peace, joy, and happiness that comes from that repentance. It’s beautiful, too, to know that my family can also go through that repentance process and return to live with the Savior again. Another blessing of the Aaronic priesthood is being able to partake of the sacrament — each week we have the sacrament to help us renew those baptismal covenants. The Melchizedek Priesthood Now let’s dive a little more into the Melchizedek priesthood. How does the Savior bless us through the Melchizedek priesthood? Peter, James, and John restored the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Doctrine and Covenants section 107, verses 18–19 talks about the Melchizedek priesthood: The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the Church — to have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. How beautiful is that? To me, that is a promise that we will have the Savior with us and that we can communicate with our Heavenly Father. We can feel His presence in our life. We can definitely see that as we go to the temple and worship there, and we can feel of that Spirit. I remember the first time I went to the temple and just the sense of homecoming I felt there, knowing that it is the house of the Lord. So there are blessings from the Melchizedek priesthood: we can go to the temple, we can feel closer to the Lord both at the temple and in our daily lives as we continually seek to have Him in our life. Because of the Melchizedek priesthood, the mysteries of God can be unfolded unto us as we continually turn and seek and strive to have them in our lives. And then we have that sealing ordinance that makes it possible for us to be with our families for all eternity. So these two priesthoods work together — the Aaronic priesthood is the preparatory priesthood that helps us gain an understanding that we can repent and learn and grow. Then we can go deeper and deepen that connection through the ordinances of the Melchizedek priesthood. Why Does God Share His Priesthood Power With Us? Why does God share His priesthood power with His children? This is another question within the lesson, and you can have a great discussion about it. Why do you feel it’s important that God shares His priesthood power with His children? For me, it is a reminder that He loves us, that He wants us to have all of these blessings, and He wants us to return to live with Him. Each o

    FSY Ep 2 | The Restoration of the Priesthood: How It Blesses Us Today | For the Strength of Youth

  3. Sep 3

    FSY Episode 1: You Are Blessed by Priesthood Keys and Authority | For the Strength of Youth

    Welcome to the very first episode of Strength to Become — a weekly study through the For the Strength of Youth (FSY) guide! Karen kicks things off with September’s Fast Sunday lesson: You Are Blessed by Priesthood Keys and Authority. In this FSY discussion, Karen walks through the three eternal truths for the month — that all priesthood keys and authority come from Jesus Christ, that Christ has restored His priesthood in our day, and that priesthood authority blesses all of God’s children — sharing personal stories along the way, including how tracing the blessings of the Restoration in her own life led her to an eternal family, comfort after the loss of her younger brother, and a deeper love for the Book of Mormon. She also breaks down how these For the Strength of Youth lessons are designed to work: choosing one eternal truth to focus on, inviting real discussion instead of a lecture, and applying an invitation — whether that’s accepting a calling, sustaining those who serve, or fulfilling an assignment — so the lesson becomes something lived, not just learned. Whether you’re teaching this FSY lesson yourself or simply want to go deeper as you prepare your own heart and home, this episode is a starting point for feeling God’s love through the priesthood keys He has placed on the earth for us. Walking through the For the Strength of Youth (FSY) guide alongside our youth. If you'd like to hear more from Karen, check out the Divine Worth Podcast → https://karenpapin.substack.com/listen/divine-worth-podcast Disclaimer: This podcast is not produced, endorsed, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All views, opinions, and interpretations shared are my own. Transcript: Introduction Karen Papin (00:00) Welcome to the FSY with Karen Papin podcast where we are coming to feel God’s love for us as we dive into the For the Strength of Youth booklet. recently we’ve got some big changes coming up where we are now going to be meeting every week for Sunday school and then for young men, young women. Society and Elders Quorum I I love that we’re gonna be doing this and being able to gather together again each week and with that I’ve got two two girls who one is already in young women’s one will be joining young women’s in January and so I watched the introduction video for this new for the strength of youth program and and just thought wow this is something that we can all learn from and so I want to invite you to join me as we study the for the strength of youth and really dive in to what our youth are learning but also to see how it applies to us and to also see just God’s love. which is apparent within these lessons. And so with that, let’s go ahead and dive into September’s Fast Sunday lesson. And the way that this works is that ever the Fast Sunday, the first Sunday of every month, is a lesson that is focused on introducing the topic for that month. And so this month’s theme is This Month’s Theme: You Are Blessed by Priesthood Keys and Authority you are blessed by priesthood keys and authority, and so the scripture that this is kind of based off of is in Matthew sixteen, verses eighteen through nineteen, and this is what it says, And I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And so here Christ is talking to Peter about this priesthood authority and giving him the priesthood keys to be able to be able to buy both on earth and in heaven a beautiful gift so what exactly is the priesthood that is the power and authority of god Sometimes life is so chaotic and so it is nice to know that in God’s church there actually is this sense of order that we can find through the the priesthood keys and through the the authority that comes from them. so for the month of September we will be focusing on these priesthood keys and authority and really seeing how that applies to each of us. And so just the fact that Heavenly Father has placed on this earth a way for us to be able to access those priesthood keys and authority shows us that he loves us and that he is there for us and that he is helping us to be able to To be able to have everything that we need to learn and to grow and to walk in his light and to return to him. How the Lessons Work And so the way that these lessons work is that though that you choose, one of the eternal truths and then you are diving into those eternal truths and discussing them with each other within this class setting. And and so the eternal truths for this month, and like I said, you just choose one of them. These these lessons are like twenty five minutes long and they’re meant to be discussions and so it’s not just someone getting up there and giving all the info it is about bringing up the topic and then discussing the topic with each other and figuring out how it’s relevant to us and also how we can apply these things And so if you in the four of the strength of youth guide, and they it has the eternal truths, then there’s invitations so that you can actually think, okay, how can I act on what it is that we discussed today? and then it has promised blessings. So it’s not just a matter of okay, now go and do this, but it’s also a matter of here are the ways that you will be blessed as you apply. These things into your life. And then another cool thing about the guide is that it does have a little questions and answers section to help us gain a greater understanding of the principles therein, as well as some suggested scriptures. And then at the very end, there are temple recommend questions for us to be able to prepare ourselves to enter into the temple. And and so each each lesson is doing just that. It is helping you to continually prepare yourself to enter into the temple and receive even more great blessings. So the internal truths for this month that you can choose from are are these. The first is all priesthood keys and authority come from Jesus Christ. Isn’t that wonderful? Eternal Truth 1: All Priesthood Keys and Authority Come From Jesus Christ that is such an important truth for us because it helps us to know that Christ is at the head of this church. Christ is like this is all about his church, his gospel, and his priesthood authority. It is the savior that is in charge. like he does ask things of us and asks us asks us to serve in various ways within the church. And when we are called and set apart, we are given that priesthood authority to be able to act within those callings. And and yes, we are not perfect, right? We don’t always follow promptings, we don’t always know The ways that are gonna be best to be able to serve within our callings and we are gonna make mistakes. That is just that is a part of life, right? that’s why we have a savior, and yet he still allows us to be able to have these opportunities to serve, and he still gives us that authority to be able to do so. and so if we can just trust in the Lord and allow him. To guide us as we accept our callings and as we continue to serve faithfully within our callings, He does guide us. And he helps us to learn and he helps us to grow and and he gives us opportunities to be able to feel God’s love, not only the love that he has for us, but also the love that he has for those who for whom we serve. another eternal truth that you might want to focus on is Jesus Christ has restored his priesthood in our day. Eternal Truth 2: Jesus Christ Has Restored His Priesthood in Our Day On my mission, I remember that this was something that we taught a lot on my mission. We talked about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how the how the Lord’s priesthood has been restored on this earth. And I remember just taking time to start listing all all of the blessings that I’ve received from the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And and while I say I wrote down all of them, I know that that was just a small list compared to how many blessings there actually are. But it was amazing once I got started. I think I gave myself like five minutes to start writing down the the blessings and then I kept going. because I started to realize just how how much that spread to other parts of my life like not just being able to be baptized by the priesthood authority not just being able to have an eternal family but that it really impacted all areas of my life. think I ended up writing like over fifty things that I recognized as blessings that Happened because of the restoration of the gospel. Because of the restoration of the gospel, we have the Book of Mormon which has been such a pivotal, foundational thing for me in my life and it has really helped me through some of the hardest moments of my life. It has given me strength, it has given me peace because it has brought me closer to the Lord and helped me to see his hand in my life. brought in me that priesthood authority to be held to be with my family for time and all eternity which was something that on my mission I felt very keenly because because when I was fifteen years old my younger brother passed away and and So that knowledge that I would see him again, that knowledge that we were forever brother and sister, was something that I found so comforting and that gave me so much strength. And and now that I am older and I have my husband and my own kids as well, I have an even greater love and appreciation for that. I am thankful for all the knowledge that I’ve learned from being able to have the gospel in my life, the knowledge that I do have a savior who loves me, who has suffered all things, that that we might be able to overcome all things and that and just the the power and the beauty that comes from th

    FSY Episode 1: You Are Blessed by Priesthood Keys and Authority | For the Strength of Youth
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Insights from the lessons in the For the Strength of Youth Guide. karenpapin.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Karen Papin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Karen Papin
  • Show Website
    Strength to Become