By Divine Authority

And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom. Doctrine & Covenants 36:2

Those who are called to bear the priesthood receive a divine investiture of authority. God is our Principal, and as bearers of the priesthood, we are his agents. In a very real sense, as agents we do not have the right to do things our way; we must do things his way, for “whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business” (D&C 64:29). The truest exercise of our moral agency is therefore in learning and carrying out the will of our Principal. Those who act by divine authority act in his name. Those who speak by divine authority speak in his name. Thus, when a priesthood bearer is properly ordained and living so as to qualify for the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit, his deeds—whether prayers or sermons or ordinances—are His deeds; it is as though the Almighty were performing the acts himself. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 96)