Back to the Basics- Repentance

     Hopefully you read the last post I wrote about Faith. If not, I would recommend that you read that one first because the gospel of Jesus Christ builds "line upon line," (2 Nephi 28:30) and I'll reference it in this blog post.  By now, hopefully, you have followed Alma's counsel found in The Book of Mormon and put it to the test. You have "experimented on the word" to see if it was good and have cared for your faith "as a seed" by giving it the spiritual food it needs. (If this sounds confusing read the last blog post)

     You have felt your faith in Christ begin to grow as you have learned more about him. As your faith continues to grow you want to be more like Jesus Christ and follow him. The first step you can take in following him is to repent. Let's first define what this means... "Repentance is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin AND turning to God for forgiveness."

     I love that definition, but I have an easier time applying something if there are steps for me to follow. The following are six basic steps required for true repentance. As you read these remember that it is not a checklist of items to be crossed off after you have done them once. Rather it is a lifelong process in which each of the steps are repeated many times througout your life.

1. Recognize that you have sinned and feel true sorrow.
2. Stop doing the sin and try your best to never do it again.

3. Confess your sins to God and ask for forgiveness. Also ask others you may have hurt for forgiveness.

4. Make restitution. Do all you can to correct any problems you may have caused.

5. Keep the Commandments. In addition to stopping bad things you must also do good things.

6. Remember the Savior. The most important part is to remember that forgiveness comes because of Jesus Christ. Without him, we cannot be forgiven. That's a big part of why it is so important to have faith in him. He makes repentance possible for us all because he suffered and died for us.

     As you try your best to follow Christ you may still fall short. Don't get discouraged, but remember that through sincere repentance you can be forgiven.

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Want To Leave the Past in the Past??

     It seems to me that when we want forgiveness, we are often the last person to forgive ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy at times. We will hang on to our mistakes even when others may have completely forgotten them and forgiven us. So can you ever really be completely rid of your sins and mistakes? Can they really be gone for good? The answer to this question comes from the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

     "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

     Think about it like this- You are a board that is perfectly whole, but when you commit a sin a nail is pounded into you and you are no longer perfect. You recognize that you have sinned and you want to be forgiven. So you sincerely repent and ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness. Then what happens to the hole in the board (your sin)?

     Some people may think that the nail is removed, wood putty fills the hole and it is re-finished. On the surface it may look good, but deep down it would still have an imperfection. Luckily that's not how Christ's Atonement works! Rather when we sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness the old board with a nail hole is "passed away." The old, imperfect board is gone and you "are become new." You are again a perfect board. You can be perfectly whole again! So choose today to leave the past in the past. When you have repented you can be "a new creature" and move on to a better and brighter day!