Don't go under the Tank.

I read a rather interesting book once.  It was written by a Vietnam War Vet and his experiences.  The writer was in a tank crew, and every new replacement was told to never sleep under the tank.  It rained constantly in Vietnam, it was tempting to go underneath the tank for protection.  For their own health and safety it was told not to go under.  One threat was bullets would ricochet off the thick metal.  But there was one a little more subtle.  One night, a new soldier decided he wanted to get out of the rain and decided to go under the tank, despite the constant warning not to.  As it continued to rain he feel asleep.  The next morning, the Sergent started looking for him and couldn't find him.  With the possibility of an enemy attack and they delayed the search for a couple hours.  After the threat passed, the writer began calling for the soldier only to hear a call for help behind the tank.  They soon discovered the soldier pinned underneath the tank as it was slowly, but surely, sank into the mud.  He was unable to get out.  The Sergent and the driver proceeded to drive the tank off the soldier.  It was incredibly painful for them to get the tank off the soldier.  Part of the tank ended up being dragged across the soldier.  When they got the tank off him, he was still alive.  But his clothes were in shreds, and he was skinned and bloody.

The world would pressure us to "get under the tank".  It will rain ideas to us which are exciting, but unhealthy.  They will seem appealing and exciting, but it results in pain and misery.  You will hear things like: dress immodestly, indulge in drugs and alcohol, look at pornography, each pushing you towards that which is degrading and unstable.  Slowly, but surely, the weight of our choices eventually sinks down on top of us, pinning us down making it hard to progress.  It is very easy to escape the rain by going under the world's wing.  The world will then put us to "sleep" so that you don't realize what it is doing to you.  Have you noticed ads involving drinking or smoking?  They do a great job at making it look fun, safe, and exciting.  It will also make you think you are in complete control.  But it reality it steals your ability to chose wisely leaving you in miserable and in with a dangerous consequence (2 Nephi 26:22).  If the soldier was awake, he would have noticed that his space was getting smaller and smaller.  He would have left his shrinking space.  But he fell asleep and couldn't escape.  Not without the painful experience of having that tank dragged across him.

The Prophet Alma talks about being "harrowed up to the greatest and racked with all (his) sins."  Acts that he had done brought incredible misery to his soul.  What does harrowed mean?  A harrow is a tool used by farmers to break up the ground.  It is dragged behind a tractor.  Imagine having one of those dragged over you. It would hurt.  Sin is like a harrow, it breaks apart our soul.  Sin, or the act of doing wrong, does not bring good, it leaves us in a broken miserable state.  You can say your soul would look like that soldier after having that tank dragged across him. A mess.  But there is hope.  Alma, in his anguish called upon God begging for forgiveness for the things he had done wrong.  His burden was lifted off him and his joy was as great as his pain and he couldn't remember it anymore.  Repentance helped relive the pain he felt as he cast his burden upon the Savior.  So long as we repent and sin no more, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is able to lift our troubled soul out of captivity of the devil.  This makes our joy greater than our pain.  Strive to follow the example of the Savior and allow his Atonement to work inside you.

Wrong doing is painful to get out of.  Unless you stop the behavior before it settles in.  If you are guilty of doing something wrong stop immediately.  If you have been doing it for some time, seek help and get out.  It may be hard and painful, but it is better than being crushed by your guilt and is worth the few scrapes and bruises to stop.

How do you repent? Click here.

Still not enough?  Maybe this will help:

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.

A Day of Restoration

"Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name." - 2 Nephi 25:13

April 6th has a lot of meaning to me.  Two very important events happened on this day. The first is the most commonly known. This was the day the Savior died for us.  Just hours before he was killed he suffered in Gethsemane.  He was then resurrected Three days later and showed himself to His Apostles.  He took upon him all the sins of the World.  He died so that we may live again, the chains of death were broken so the earth would hold not it's dead.  Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane removed our punishment for sin from us so that we can make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. To this sacrifice I have a eternal debt with great mercy attached for me.  For that I am truly grateful for the Saviors sacrifice.

The second event was the Restoration of Christ's church as it was organized when Christ was one the Earth. (See also The Articles of Faith.)  Under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, under inspiration from God the Father, the church was officially organized on April 6th, 1830.  With the Restoration of the Lord's Church, The Priesthood (the Authority to act in God's name) was placed back on the earth.  A prophecy made by the Prophet Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar about the going of the Church of God that would fill the whole earth, never to be destroyed again.  To this day, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown from a congregation of thirty to 15 million and growing.  It has never been lead by men, but by God.  Prophets speak to us today, like prophets of old, revealing God's word to us.  I am grateful in taking part in this "Marvelous work and a Wonder" as prophesied by Isaiah.

On this date, our restoration to heaven was completed and The Lord's Church was restored.  Truly this day is a glorious day.

For a special Easter presentation (From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) click here.

Here are the Events of the Savior's Atonement: