Faith is a principle of power. The greater one’s faith, the greater is one’s power for good. Like so much else in the gospel, the attainment of such power is a process. But this journey has a destination epitomized by the promise given to Nephi:
’I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will
…ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.
Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.’ (Hel 10:5-7)
How great is this promise! The Lord says that we will be given power so that we can do whatever we want. He has promised us that through prayer we can have whatever we want (v. 26). Thus God allows us to have whatever we want so that we can do whatever we want. The only caveat is that we must ask for that ‘which is good’, and we must do that which is ’expedient in [him].’ This shows us how important it is for us to want only those things which God wants—in effect, to have our will ‘swallowed up in the will of the Father’ (Mosiah 15:7). As the Bible Dictionary states: “Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.”
Bruce R. McConkie
“It is the power of faith…And the extent to which we become like Him is the extent we gain His faith, acquire His power and exercise His priesthood. And when we have become like Him in the full and true sense, then we…shall have eternal life.” (Conference Report, May 1982 Ensign, “Priesthood Power Should Be Studied and Magnified”)
Joseph Smith
"…faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth…
"Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence!…
“How would you define faith in its most unlimited sense? It is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things.” (Lectures on Faith, pp. 8-12)