Anthony R. Sweat, associate professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, delivered the final devotional of the 2021-2022 school year Tuesday at BYU’s Marriott Center.

Sweat’s devotional, titled “We Need an Endowment,” centered on the importance of endowments to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and focused on the following quote from Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the Church:

“You need an endowment…so that you can be prepared and able to overcome all things.”

According to Sweat, Smith was not referring to temple endowments, the religious ceremony in which church members make covenants and receive instructions, but rather another type of endowment.

“When Joseph Smith said we needed an endowment to overcome the spiritual challenges we face, he wasn’t saying we needed a religious ceremony,” Sweat said. “What he meant was that we needed an endowment of spiritual power, or a heavenly gift of divine knowledge, experience, ability, and capacity.”

Sweat went on to say that Smith often described an endowment as a celestial bestowal of spiritual power and that this bestowal of power is unlikely to occur on an individual’s first trip to the temple, but rather as they grow. continues to develop his ability to wield spiritual power.

“Sometimes people attend the endowment ceremony and they may not really understand it at first, or they may not feel much different after leaving the temple before entering it,” Sweat said. “But we don’t have electricity in a few hours. If we understand that the endowment is a spiritual ability, then we have to develop that ability.

According to Sweat, to receive the power that can come from temple covenants, church members must first study and pray to know and understand what that power is.

“If we don’t know what power is manifest, then how can we focus on it?” He asked.

Sweat reiterated that the divine power that endowments can provide is not just reserved for certain members of the church, but rather anyone who will take the time and effort to receive it.

“You might be tempted to think that this kind of power only applies to some people or to other people,” he said. “But remember that the power of God is very personal and can be received by ordinary saints like you and me if we learn the patterns and implement the covenant concepts.”

In addition to his work as a BYU professor, Sweat is also a public speaker, artist, and author of books like “The Holy Covenants: Living our Sacred Temple Promises,” “Seekers Wanted: The Skills You Need for the Faith You Want and “The Holy Invitation: Understanding Your Sacred Temple Endowment.” Sweat and his wife Cindy, whom he affectionately calls his “Sweatheart,” are the parents of seven children.

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