Seminary
Lesson 171: For the Strength of Youth Guide—Connecting Our Choices to Christ
For the Strength of Youth guide

For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices: Lesson 171

For the Strength of Youth Guide

Connecting Our Choices to Christ

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

mosque in Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar towers 426 meters above the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar has long been used to defend against advancing enemies and control shipping routes. British forces carved 34 miles of tunnels into the rock, creating hospitals, barracks, storage, and places of safety for their forces. For thousands of years, people have relied on the strength of the rock to provide safety and protection.

tag iconRead the following verses, looking for what ancient prophets compared strongholds like Gibraltar to. Tag what you find as “strength.”

Lesson Purpose: To help you practice using For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices (2023) to make inspired choices based on Jesus Christ and His doctrine.

Learn How

Jesus Christ is my rock

Read the following statement by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for how we can make Jesus Christ our rock.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Every time you make a righteous choice based on the Savior’s eternal truths, you show that you want Him in your life. Those choices unlock the gates of heaven, and His strength comes pouring into your life. …

… As we build our lives, it’s important to make good choices. And it’s important to understand the Savior’s eternal truth. But the strength we will need to withstand life’s storms comes when we connect our choices with Jesus Christ and His doctrine. That’s what For the Strength of Youth helps us do. (“For the Strength of Youth: The Savior’s Message to You,” For the Strength of Youth, Mar. 2024, 38)

tag icontruth, decisions

One truth we can learn from Elder Uchtdorf is the following: We receive strength from Jesus Christ when we connect our choices with Him and His doctrine.

Read the following experience from a seminary student. Notice how the For the Strength of Youth guidebook helped her make a good choice.

young woman

The other day I had a discussion with my parents about a gospel standard mentioned in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. My parents set a family rule that I didn’t like and that was more strict than my friends had to follow. After talking it through, I told them, “I may not like it, I may not want to do it, and I may not understand it—but I’ll do it.” Putting my trust in God, His prophet, and my parents gave me the strength to be obedient. (Brinley B., 16, Utah, US)

Think of a situation you are currently facing, or anticipate facing in the future, that might require you to make difficult choices. Consider how Jesus Christ and His doctrine might help you.

Listen for the promptings of the Spirit as you practice connecting your choices to Jesus Christ with the help of the For the Strength of Youth guidebook.

Dig Deeper: See the article from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles titled “For the Strength of Youth: The Savior’s Message to You.”

The structure of the guidebook

In For the Strength of Youth, you will find the teachings of Jesus Christ and His prophets. With these truths as your guide, you can make inspired choices that will bless you now and throughout eternity. The guidebook is divided into different topics, and each topic has three parts:

  1. Eternal truths, or doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ

  2. Invitations to act on those truths

  3. Promised blessings that the Lord offers to those who live by His teachings

Choose a section in the guidebook. Look through it and find the three parts.

Joseph Resists Potiphar’s Wife

Joseph Resists Potiphar’s Wife, by Del Parson

Now try applying the pattern to a real situation. You can use the story of Joseph in Egypt fleeing Potiphar’s wife and the “Your body is sacred” portion of For the Strength of Youth as a model for how to use the guidebook to make inspired choices.

Read Genesis 39:9–12, looking for how Joseph connected his choices with Jesus Christ and His doctrine.

The topic “Your body is sacred” in For the Strength of Youth teaches truths that are relevant to situations like the one Joseph faced.

  1. Eternal truth. The law of chastity states that God approves of sexual activity only between a man and a woman who are married.

  2. Invitation. The guide also teaches that we should treat our body and others’ bodies with respect.

  3. Promised blessing. We are promised that living the law of chastity brings God’s approval and personal spiritual power. Joseph wanted God’s approval (see Genesis 39:9), so he chose to follow the law of chastity.

How might these truths have guided Joseph to make inspired choices?

Practice

notebook iconWrite down a situation you are currently facing, or anticipate facing in the future, that might require you to make difficult choices. Practice using For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices to connect your choices with Jesus Christ and His doctrine. Find a section in the guidebook that you think relates to your situation. You might find a topic to study by looking in the “What about …” index at the end of the guidebook. Then, answer the following three questions:

  1. Eternal truths. What eternal truths about Jesus Christ and His doctrine can help you with this decision?

  2. Invitations. What invitations can help you make inspired choices based on these eternal truths?

  3. Promised blessings. How might Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ bless you as you strive to follow these invitations?

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you practice using the For the Strength of Youth guidebook to make inspired choices based on Jesus Christ and His doctrine.

share iconShare the following with your teacher or class:

  • What you learned today about staying connected to Jesus Christ and His doctrine when making decisions.