0045: The Power of Daily Repentance | Insights from President Nelson

Paisley: Hey everybody, welcome back. Paisley. Imperfect here and today, I'm going to do something that I don't usually do. I'm going to use one of the talks that was in the Come follow me, part of the curriculum for Come follow me this week, we're going to talk about President Nelson's talk. We can do better and be better. First of all, let me just say this and get this off of my chest. I don't think that it is a coincidence that we study the Book of Mormon every election year. I also don't think that it's a coincidence that we get to the part about the wars and all of the political turmoil and ugliness, the secret combinations murdering of chief judges. I don't think that it's a coincidence that we get to all of that part right about now in an election year. I hope that you're noticing the parallels and seeing some of the similarities between their time and ours. I also find it interesting that this talk was included this time in the second paragraph, President Nelson says, recently, I have found myself drawn to the Lord's instruction given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And he quotes DNC 69 and 11 nine, and says, Say nothing but repentance unto this generation. By the end of this episode, hopefully that will feel a little less scary than it does right now. I know when I first read that, I was like, oh, because we're we're watching what happens to the Nephites as they refuse to repent. Okay, so right now where we're at in the in the Book of Mormon, we have two prophets. We have a Nephite prophet Nephi and we have a Lamanite prophet Samuel. Both of them are preaching repentance, and it's shortly before Jesus comes again, again, parallels shortly before he comes again, and amid so much public turmoil and political turmoil. It just, I don't know. It's just not feeling like a coincidence to me this year. So what does our Prophet say about repentance? This talk that I'm going to be pulling my notes and stuff from was given in the April 2019, General Conference, and it was during a priesthood meeting. A lot of it is very specific to the men of the church, but there is still a lot for us women to learn. And I want to point out something that kind of blew my mind when I read it. I'll start with a quote. He said, Too many people consider repentance as a punishment, something to be avoided, except in the most serious circumstances. When I first read that my my eyes kept reading, but my brain went somewhere else, so my mind wandered a little bit, and my mind wandered to the plan of happiness, plan of salvation, plan of redemption. Pick your favorite title, the plan of happiness, salvation, redemption is a gift that our Heavenly Father gave to us, and he gave us that plan so that we could learn and grow to become as he is. However, this plan falls apart without our Savior. So if Jesus Christ had not been willing to give and sacrifice his life for us, the whole plan would have been void and pointless. Jesus's sacrifice of His life made repentance possible for us. He paid so that we don't have to if we accept His sacrifice, that makes repentance a gift. So repentance is a gift, not a punishment, okay? But and to President Nelson's point, too many people consider repentance as punishment instead of a gift, instead of an opportunity, instead of a chance to change, chance to make something right and learn to become more like our father and our Savior. He continues, but this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus, Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify and sanctify us. That feeling that repentance is a punishment comes from satan our Savior would rather we consider repentance as a gift. Feeling otherwise is exactly what Satan wants us to feel, because then we won't do it. We won't repent, and if we don't repent, i. Then we can't heal. We can't be forgiven, cleansed, strengthened, purified, or sanctified, any of those things that President Nelson mentioned, we, in essence, become subject to the devil. So here's some more, and some hope for this, for those of us who are trying to wrap our brains around repentance as a gift rather than a punishment. President Nelson says repentance is the key to avoiding misery inflicted by traps of the adversary. The Lord does not expect perfection from us at this point in our eternal progression, does not expect perfection from us at this point in our progression. That means we don't even have to be perfect at repenting, but it gets better, he says, but he does expect us to become increasingly pure. Daily repentance is the path to purity, and purity brings power. Personal purity can make us powerful tools in the hand of God. And then check this out, whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path or can't even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance, of doing and being a little better each day, two huge things in that. Number one, everyone is equal when it comes to repentance, whether you're diligently on the covenant path, or you can't even see the path from where you are at you I need to repent and become a little bit better each day. And that's the second big thing in that it doesn't matter where you are, where you live, where you've been, it's time to just start getting a little bit better, a little bit better every day. That, according to President Nelson, that is what repentance looks like. Us getting a little bit better every day. That is what real repentance looks like. And what's more is that we can ask God for help, and he will give it to us. He gave us this gift of repentance, and He will even help us use it. President Nelson put it this way, prayerfully, seek to understand what stands in the way of your repentance, identify what stops you from repenting, and then change repent. All of us can do better and be better than ever before. So maybe I'm a little bit late to this game, and maybe all y'all have figured out already that becoming a little bit better every day equals repentance. You know, if you were to put the math equation together, a little bit better plus every day equals repentance. For whatever reason, I had not put that together, but a little bit better every day. Sorry, I have to go pick up my kids in a minute, a little bit better every day. Equals repentance. I've been talking about becoming a little bit better every day for months, and still did not put it together. But now that I have put those two, two things together, a little bit better, plus, every day equals repentance, now I feel like I know how to repent. I know some of the things I need to work on, and it doesn't feel scary or ugly or punishing anymore. President Nelson said, Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event. It is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. Okay, I can do this. I can repent and become a little bit better every day, and heavenly Father will tell me the things that I need to get better at. It's a long list, and it feels like every time I go through one of these talks, it gets a little bit longer, but I can do it, and if I can do it, you can do it for sure. Thank you, everyone again for being here with me today. Keep learning, keep growing, keep or start repenting and be of good cheer. Thanks everyone. Bye.