Repentance

What does it mean to Repent?  You've probably run into that word reading a book of some kind or a movie with some preacher giving a "crazy" sermon.  To Repent is to turn from our old destructive behavior to a more healthy behavior.  It is turning back to Christ and allowing him to work with us.  True repentance is more than feeling sorry or being told you've done wrong.  It is an act of faith to change yourself for the better.  You repent by:

1. Recognizing you've done something wrong. If you don't know realize you have done wrong, you are not going to change.  A moral compass (conceince) helps here.
2. Feel remorse (sorrow) for what you have done wrong. If you don't recognize the weight of the problem you are still not going to change and will go right back to the very thing that got you in trouble.  You're behavior will be, "Oh, I've done something bad.  But it wasn't that bad."  Not a good thought process.
3. Quit the behavior. Get out and stay out before it's too late.  Feeling sorry and knowing you've done wrong requires action against the behavior.  If your house was on fire are you going to let it burn?
4. Confess your wrong.   Depending of the gravity of the mistake will depend on who you need to confess your wrong to. A simple wrong against yourself, you confess to God in Prayer, and make an effort to fix it.  (Refer back to 3.)  Against someone else, you admit your wrong to the person you've done wrong to. Anything involving morality, addictions, or civil law; you better talk to your spiritual leader (bishop), parent or a trusted individual who can help you get help to resolve the problem.  It is important not to go back to the thing that got you in trouble in the first place.
5. Make restitution. Repairs will need to be made whether with yourself or someone else you need to make sure everything is restored to order.  I read a quote once that said, ‎"Until we take responsibility for what we have done, the Atonement can't help us."  Unless you clean up the mess it is still a problem.  It hinders your ability to progress.
6. Resolve never to do it again. just because the problem is fixed doesn't mean you won't come back to it. You need to decided NOW that you will never ever do that again for you own health and safety.  You are not going to have a snake bite you after getting treated for it the first time.  You should treat bad behavior the same way.

Sin is not being caught in the act and feeling bad. Sin is breaking a law.  God has set down rules for our prgression, not damnation.  As we obey these rules it makes it possible to excel. There isn't a grey area between justice and mercy.   You have done something bad or good.   Sometimes we make a mistake out of ignorance, that's okay.  Just don't do it again and everything will be fine.   Repentance is a way to become a more perfect person. 

One type of behavior that is just as destructive is saying "I can repent (or clean it up) later."  Such behavior makes a mockery of Christ's sacrifice for us because we are indugling in degenerate bahavior and expecting good to come from it.  Christ said, 'be ye perfect.'  Christ make it possible for us to be perfect.  But we need to become perfect ourselves by becoming a better person.  You can't turn refuse back into something good.  You have to remove it.  We just need to cast out burdens on him and follow him.  Christ had already paid the price for sin.  We need to take advantage of this gift NOW, so that we can enjoy the blessings of exaltation.  Once you are freed from your burdens you can enjoy life much more fully.  You become a more perfect person and are no longer held down by your past mistakes.

Purity: a Healthy Spirit

One of the stories of the Savior is when he comes across a leper who called on him saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."  Without hesitation the Savior said, "Be thou Clean."  Instantly the man was healed of his leprosy.  Someone who was a leper was often shunned from society.  The body was literally unclean, which explained the cause of leprosy.  The neglected body was taken over by the disease.  We all know the benefits of a healthy body.  The activities you can participate in are endless.  However, when the body is neglected by poor eating, lack of exercise, or exposure to harmful substances like drugs will destroy it.   Purity is caring for the spirit.

What is Purity? Obviously cleanliness, but it is in a perfect form.  Purity in spirit is being clean from sin.  But why is purity so important?  Every culture in the world has some method of purifying their people.  Even Atheists, but that is a civic thing.  Purification is a process in which the body/spirit is cleansed in order to prepare the person for a special event such as marriage or entering manhood to name a few.  In Ancient Israel, the Levites had to be purified because they handled the Priesthood (God's power) and were given charge of handling sacred objects, such as the Ark of the Covenant.  Prophets were subject to purification too.  The process was not some crazy ritual where there were tom-toms and chants all through out.  It was more of a process of the heart, a change of character.

The same thing applies today, and the process remains the same.  Before we can handle anything sacred was must be pure before God.  This does not mean become a germ-a-phobic just so that you can be clean on the outside.  A clean body is good, but a filthy spirit will keep us from God.  The Prophet Isaiah said to abstain from the unclean things of the world and to be clean in order to bear the vessels of the Lord.  The vessels of the Lord could be the Priesthood, positions of leadership or even raising children.  If we are not pure in heart why should we be allowed to touch those things that are important to God?  Someone who is impure will abuse the privileges and powers God gives them.

One of the great responsibilities of having a pure heart before God is to help others reach that point.  One way is to be an example to others.  Even though you seem to remain anonymous, there are people who are watching you.  If you follow the commandments given to us by God, others will see in your actions that you are special.  This will inspire them to change, because obedience to God brings happiness and everyone wants to be happy.  One of the changes that may come on you is you will want to see others succeed as well.

One thing that is guaranteed to happen when you purify yourself before God is you will abhor sin.  Everything the world has that is degrading and unhealthy to your soul will be rejected.  Just like a healthy body is more able to fight sicknesses and infections when it is healthy, your spirit will reject evil by telling you this is not good so long as it is pure.  The Holy Ghost can help play a role in that too.

The most important part of becoming pure is the Atonement.  No one can take away the effects of sin alone.  Just like a regular person cannot fix a broken bone with out medical help, we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin without the Savior.  Jesus Christ suffered in Gethsemane and took upon himself the punishments for sin.  Because of that we are purified so long as we repent of our sins and resolve never to do it again. Being unrepentant is like finding a black widow and having it bite you after getting treatment for it the first time.

In my studies I have discovered to know that purity before God brings a very special gift from Him.  In Doctrine and Covenants 50:28 it says that those who are pure can have possession over all things.  This does not mean you are entitled to riches and pomp.  But you are able to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to which brings the greatest wealth, even greater than all the gold on this earth.  This is something that can only be obtained by the Holy Ghost which only available when one is obedient to God and lives worthy of the accompaniment of the Spirit.  Through Prayer, Diligent Scripture Study, Repentance and Obedience to the Commandments of God makes it possible for everything that God has promised is ours.  But only if we remain pure can this happen.