Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deut 31:6. The Lord needs selfless men who put the welfare of others ahead of their own. This is a lifelong process. Good luck, thanks for reaching out, and God bless. I really want to serve a mission and Im about to turn 19. I was just under the influence of marijuana and the person took advantage of my state. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, hold up their tie and skirt given to them after a special stake conference in Maputo, Mozambique, on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. . What should I say to them? I feel absolutely terrible right now knowing that I probably cant serve a mission. Weve both had problems with intimacy in the past, obviously hes talked with his bishop before he served his mission and resolved things. Only your bishop can determine if youll be able to serve a mission. Pay particular attention to verses 42 and 43 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. It is the broken heart and contrite spirit., We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement., We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.. Our Savior Jesus Christ gave his life that we might repent and be cleansed of our mistakes. And for a time before I really feel away I thought I would never be able to repent fully. I want to serve a mission, but know this sin from a couple months ago is holding me back. One of the more neglected tools that can help us grow in our holiness is the confession of sins one to another (James 5:16). I am not absolving him of responsibility. If you do, hell use them again, and you will fall and have to get up again. Through the years, I strive myself to repent. Repentance and forgiveness are complementary principles. After stumbling upon pornographic material online, I unfortunately touched myself while viewing the material. I am afraid that I will meet the same fate as my father and be desensitized to the evils of the world, and I dont know what will happen to my father in the afterlife if he is too stubborn to repent and come back even though he remarried to a non-LDS person. Another way we can also do better and be better is how we honor the women in our lives, beginning with our wives and daughters, our mothers and sisters.15, Months ago, I received a heartbreaking letter from a dear sister. Please be completely open and honest with him and tell him of all these transgressions so you can begin the process of repenting and putting these things behind you. I started attending church and paying my tithe a couple weeks ago(minus sacrament meeting). or whatttt? God bless. Continue to strive to be close to you Father in Heaven. Also how long would i have to wait to get a temple recommend to do baptisms for the dead? But I was on Facebook earlier (on an LDS moms page) and they were having a conversation which included masturbation, I honestly had no clue about masturbation being against the law of chastity and now I feel awful and disgusting. Repentance: a central tenet of Christ's teaching Jesus' emphasis on repentance was not a new subject for Him to address in these parables. Hi, so I converted to the church 2 years ago and have been living and doing everything to the best of my ability, I stopped drinking alcohol and coffee the moment the missionaries told me and I havent had sex for about 4 years now. If we stumble or fall, if we miss that mark at times, let us turn and re-aim for Him. He knows about my precious sins, but just not that I slipped again. But if you work hard, have faith, and stay worthy, a full-time mission could theoretically still happen. When you speak with him again, you may want to ask him about the Churchs Addiction Recovery Program. Everyone will continue to make mistakes throughout their earthly life, and thanks to the mercy and grace of God, there is no limit to the amount of times a person can sincerely and fully repent (Matt 18:21-22 and Mosiah 26:30). Good luck and God bless. This is necessary to secure complete forgiveness (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: SpencerW. Kimball, 43). I just got a girlfriend 3 months ago and I love her a lot and shes gunna wait for me when I get of my mish. The bishop is the judge in Israel (D&C 107: 72) to whom the Lord will give inspiration regarding the length of time for the steps in the repentance process. Ultimately I want to serve a mission and have a temple marriage if possible, but I just really dont know where to start when It come to getting on the covenant path. I have repented on my own for the things I have done with both boys, but I dont feel like Ive been forgiven, and I know thats because I still need to talk to my bishop. Your body is your personal temple, created to house your eternal spirit.14 Your care of that temple is important. By so doing, we become better people and better spouses. To become free from it, we must turn to our Heavenly Father, pray in faith, and act as He asks us to. If we do not pray and are unkind to others, we are surely not repentant. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18). As you discuss the principles of repentance with class members or family members, you may want to ask someone to write the principles on the board or on a large piece of paper. President BoydK. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: All of us carry excess baggage around from time to time, but the wisest ones among us dont carry it for very long. We need to teach them, as Elder Robbins suggests, to come to the sacrament table every week with a fresh attitude and full of enthusiasm. Livvi, Im sorry about those things that happened when you were younger. Everything has changed since then the out look on my life and what Ive been doing. In what ways do you think godly sorrow is different from expressions of regret? These same principles apply within a marriage, and perhaps more so. But I was wondering is that even still a possibility for me? Talk to your bishop as soon as possible. Most bishops, I believe, would want to see that you have had at least a month or two of abstinence from pornography and masturbation before they approve you for missionary service and send in your paperwork. Would I have to confess all my sins since I was a kid to the Bishop in order to join the LDS? A liar should make the truth known. In other cases, the level of resentment reaches a point where the spouse is unable to forget about it and move on with the relationship. It started with masturbation and pornography. Please have faith and trust in your new bishop. Following the whisperings of the Holy Spirit is vitally important and a crucial lesson for all of us to learn in life. Good luck, and God bless you. Greda, Im sorry about the hard things you are going through right now. And after millennia of practicing his cunning arts, the adversary is experienced and incorrigible. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you. D&C 60:7 (see my post Missionary Work Cleanses Sin). We didnt have sex, but we definitely broke the law of chastity. May I asked if your repentance included confessing your actions to your bishop? In giving us the gift of a body, God has allowed us to take a vital step toward becoming more like Him. Ive even fasted for forgiveness, and I dont usually fast for medical reasons. But then, Ive repented about it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. When we repent, our life changes. For serious sins, such as sexual intercourse outside of marriage or other serious violations of the law of chastity, I strongly encourage you to confess both to the Lord and to his representative in the Church, your bishop. Annalisa, Im so sorry to hear about the situation. Please help us. He must admit to himself that he has grievously sinned. She did that few times, even if I was just frozed and honestly dont know how to respond. As for breaking up or keeping your relationship, usually priesthood leaders dont tell us specifically who we should date, only that we should date people of our same high moral standards. I hope this helps. (But watching these videos dont happen each and everyday, as far as I remember we only watched it for like less than 4 days not consecutive) From that day on, I started to think unwanted thoughts in my mind and have this feeling of arousal in my body, a way so l can put myself to sleep but I never tried to masturbate. The bishop and stake president have the responsibility to confirm that the person is free from serious transgression for a sufficient time to make sure they have manifested true repentance (see D&C 107: 72). What steps should you take to gain a testimony? The words the Lord has inspired in the revelations and in present-day teachingshigher, holier, accelerate, increase, strengthen, greater, transform, remodel, improve, enhance, change, deepen, stretchare words of spiritual growth (see RussellM. Nelson, Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints, Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 11314). Sometimes, it feels stronger now than it has before I made this sin. The last thing you would want is nagging feelings about whether or not your repentance is complete. Regardless of what happens with the mission, you will be more blessed and happy if you stay clean and pure before the Lord, so either way, thats what you are going to want to do. He knows you better than anyone else does, he created you, he knows Satan and You and he knows you can succeed!! He didnt ask me when the last time I viewed it was though. Repentance is an act of faith in Jesus Christan acknowledgment of the power of His Atonement. Repentance sometimes requires great courage, much strength, many tears, unceasing prayers, and untiring efforts to live the commandments of the Lord. We stopped recently. I just had again unfortunately with another men and I am myself an men I have hid this lifestyle from my parents and family, including when I broke the law of chastity almost a year ago. Having a defined, universal waiting period is akin to offering up 30 hail Marys and 50 our Fathers. Law of chastity violations are very serious, and in some cases these sins can prevent people from serving a full time mission. Alma recounted his experience of repenting from his sinful past: My soul was harrowed up [troubled] to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. I have been so against the church for the past couple years and really dont know how to go about this. Although confession is an essential element of repentance, it is not enough. The Lord has commanded us to confess our sins. When I was around 10 years old, I had this girl best friend and we always play everyday outside our homes. Just as our sins and weaknesses are washed away through repentance, forgiveness washes away the hurts and emotional injuries that must be anticipated in being married to someone who is imperfect. I have heard that a serious violation of the law of chastity requires that you confess to your bishop in order to fully repent. With love and encouragement.- Jimmy Smith. Besides a sincere apology, repentance includes striving to forsake our shortcomings and weaknesses. Be prayerful. He needs men who are determined to keep themselves sexually pureworthy men who can be called upon at a moments notice to give blessings with pure hearts, clean minds, and willing hands. Long talks are replaced by frequent arguments or angry silence. As servants of the Lord, we cannot be asleep while this battle rages. May God bless and be with you. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me., And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more.. Remember what the scriptures say about bishopsthey are apt to teach (1 Tim 3:2) and able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince (Titus 1:7). I know Ive had a change of heart. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are four items long. You may also ask your priesthood leaders what ideas they have, and that could include some kind of addiction support group. Ive broken the law of chastity last week but want to serve a mission. Missionary work will be good for you. It may be less time than that, though. Enoch and his city of Zion are powerful symbols among the Latter-day Saints, affirming that supreme righteousness can be attained on earth as it is in heaven. Now dont misunderstand. God Loves you whether you deserve it or not, and he will always help you whether you see it or not, but in order for him to remain God, he has to follow the laws and that means he can not bless you unless you follow them to. When we keep this commitment, we will never experience the pain of that sin again. James said, To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Can I still be married in the temple someday, Im 17 years old now and Im confused about it. Eli, I encourage you to be completely open and honest with your bishop as you meet with him in preparation for your mission. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do (2 Nephi 32:5. The best response to being hurt is, as President Packer implied, to get over it. Good luck and God bless. Some serious offenses are difficult to overcome, and some hurts run very deep. But scence then everything has been pointing me to go. Good luck and God bless. Resentment is one of the worst poisons in marriage. Ive been a hard working members of the church my entire life. He sent His Son to die for us and show us the way back to His presence. best lds talks on repentancelapd officer rodney williams status best lds talks on repentance. Scott, I would give you similar advice that I have given other young men in your situation. The world is full of temptations. Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice. I pray that you can stay worthy as you continue to prepare for your mission. In order to reach that goal, I encourage you to keep reading and studying the scriptures daily and keep praying daily and attending Church meetings. I appreciate the sensitivity in which you address your commenters. I want to serve a mission but dont want to go and have my sins always on my mind. It might take several years depending on the severity of your transgressions and your current repentance. That is between you and the Lord, primarily, and perhaps also with the Lords judge on earth, your bishop (D&C 107: 72) and stake president. But I also didnt do anything to stop him either. You mentioned red flags and that you let yourself get into the situation, which tells me that perhaps, in retrospect, you realize that the Lord was warning you through the Holy Ghost to avoid the situation with the young man. So Im preparing to serve a mission at the moment. After all, even keeping the sins and weakness on your mind allows Satan to have some hook in you. I was in a relationship with a guy, an inactive member, for about a year and ended it 3 months ago. I had never had oral sex or intercourse with anyone until about 7 months ago when I met this girl who I dated for a while. Nevertheless, it sounds to me like the Spirit of God is urging you to go talk to the bishop again, so I always encourage people to follow those promptings. No one has ever suffered in any degree what He did. Continue to talk with him on a regular basis. I was baptized young and became inactive years later at the age of 15, i have mansturbated almost everyday since i turned 13. 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