REXBURG—Today's BYU-Idaho devotional speaker spoke about the importance of knowing God’s plan and finding strength through the covenants made in the temple.
Ezra Gwilliam, a religious education professor at BYU-Idaho, felt inspired to speak about temples because of the emphasis on covenants during general conference talks of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in recent years.
“Anywhere the Lord has authorized His house to be built, provides a sacred space for us to be endowed with power to overcome the enemy,” Gwilliam said.
Each child of God faces many earthly challenges even from Satan who is so willing to destroy us, Gwilliam said. Despite the troubles in the world, God has promised to not leave his children alone. Gwilliam shared from Exodus, “The Lord shall fight for you” (Exodus 14:14).
Gwilliam taught that when students doubt where God is in their life, it is the temple where one can feel the presence of God.
“Real power can come into our lives from a real Savior who really wants to help us,” Gwilliam said.
BYU-Idaho students have the opportunity to attend a nearby temple; however, the strength of the temple is not in the physical structure, Gwilliam said, but in the blessings of temple covenants.
“I was endowed in 2002, that was a long time ago. But I was endowed in the past to have power in the present,” Gwilliam said in a BYU-Idaho Radio interview.
Each temple of God offers divine power to face daily challenges and build a stronger relationship with God.
In a personal story, Gwilliam shared how his reliance on temple covenants helped him face one of the most difficult times in his life as a full-time graduate student. In the span of one week his daughter received a life-changing diagnosis, he became a bishop of a new ward and welcomed his fourth child.
Gwilliam kept two promises during this time; he made the Sabbath Day holy and attended the temple often.
“I was given strength and help and power,” Gwilliam said in his interview. “And I think much of that came through being endowed, given power by God.”
Gwilliam invited students to attend the temple to feel the power of God in their lives.