What It Means To Be Endowed with Power

By Alexis Tanner

I loved watching the Tokyo Olympics and am always impressed by the power and strength of the athletes. I especially love the gymnasts and how easy they make their flips and balancing look. As someone who loves to play sports, I can appreciate the time and dedication it would take to be at their level of athleticism. I’ve recently been practicing yoga and am again impressed by the strength of someone who’s been practicing yoga for a while. Being good at yoga seems a little more attainable for someone at my age, but it will take lots of practice and time. Just like our bodies gain strength, so do our spirits from the ordinances and covenants we make in the temple. Making and keeping temple covenants endows us with God’s power that we can use throughout our lives. 

Power of Greater Capacity

When we enter the temple and make covenants with God, we receive God’s power. Not power as the world seeks power, but a strength and greater ability to accomplish the things we have been asked to do in this life. In his general conference talk in April 1992, Elder David B. Haight said, “A temple is a place in which those whom He has chosen are endowed with power from on high — a power which enables us to use our gifts and capabilities with greater intelligence and increased effectiveness in order to bring to pass our Heavenly Father's purposes in our own lives and the lives of those we love.” How comforting to know that our covenants not only bless us, but they bless our family members and loved ones as well. 

Power of Spiritual Strength

As men and women make covenants with God in the temple, they both have access to God’s priesthood power. When we are endowed in the house of the Lord, we can draw from that power which will strengthen us spiritually to help ourselves and those we love. In his talk “Spiritual Treasures,” President Russell M. Nelson talked about learning how to access this power. He said, “You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do... What I can tell you is that accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do.” He then encouraged each of us to study Doctrine and Covenants 25 and learn from the Spirit how we can each draw from that power in our own spiritual journey. 

Power of the Priesthood

As I’ve gotten older and better understand the power of the priesthood, I’ve learned how it affects me as a woman. Women are given priesthood authority when we’re given a calling. We participate in priesthood ordinances when we attend the temple. We speak and teach with priesthood power when we have made covenants with God in His temple. When we are endowed in the temple, priesthood power and blessings flow through our homes whether there is a priesthood bearer there or not. President Nelson promised that our power will increase as we serve others and he encouraged each of us to learn as much as we can about being endowed with priesthood power. 

Alexis Tanner is a mother of five, podcaster, and writer. She loves reading, family history work, taking her kids on adventures, and podcasting with her husband at the Parenting In Real Life Podcast. You can find Alexis on Instagram @parentingirlpodcast.