Fasten Your Seatbelt (No. 22)
From his talk, The Power of Spiritual Momentum
Part of the President Nelson Series
All blue quotes by President Russell M. Nelson (unless otherwise noted).
President Nelson turned some heads when he said,
“Discover the joy of daily repentance.“
joy: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, cheer, comfort, wonder, liveliness, merriment, rapture
Take any two words from the joy list and complete the sentence: Repentance is (________) and (________). Say it out loud. Does it ring true or sound foreign?
Our cultural teachings seldom explore the bonus part of repenting in depth. Perhaps that’s an aspect that needs more focus.
Here are my two words. Repentance is liveliness and merriment. And I chuckle a bit as I read that because I realize how off and different that would sound if I said that out loud at Sunday School.
Yet President Nelson just said it is joy. And those who have been through thorough repentance, and felt the Spirit cleanse them, know what a true statement that is.
Does our church culture sometimes miss that part — the liberating, empowering element of the repentance process?
Repentance Is Like Breathing Air
It infuses spiritual oxygen into your soul.
How important is repentance? Alma taught that we should “preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord.” Repentance is required of every accountable person who desires eternal glory. There are no exceptions. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord chastised early Church leaders for not teaching the gospel to their children. Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path.
Pick One From the List
Repenting is the key to progress. It’s the key to a lot of liberation. It’s essential when conquering addictions like gluttony, idleness, overspending, gossip, grumpiness, raging, swearing, resentment, social media, yelling, grudges, and negativity (Yes, those are addictions – they cover up and drown out what we don’t want to face and work through.) Whatever pain we’re trying to medicate or avoid, we further victimize ourselves by falling into addictions. They’re a trap, and they pull you down. They need the repentance process and heaven’s power to stop them. Which one from the list caught your attention? If you would like, join me and pick one of them or pick one of your own and then read President Nelson’s message tailored for you.
Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man. [Which addiction would you love to stop?] The Savior loves us always but especially when we repent. He promised that though “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed … my kindness shall not depart from thee.”
A Physical Action Is Required to Succeed.
Thinking about it in your head and resolving to change something seldom works. Change needs tangible reminders like goal charts or journals or some form of daily accountability.
- The first step is a physical action – make that chart, download that app, designate that journal, and write the goal down. Put it in writing — somewhere you will see it every day and sometimes every hour if needed.
- Pray about it, confess your fault and your desire to change, and ask for heavenly help. Write any promptings down on your chart, journal, etc.
- Record your results daily and discuss them with God daily. Write your inspirations down. You’ll be surprised how precious they are to you later.
- Christ is an excellent partner, draw on his strength and love. Yes, you can talk to him.
Takeaway
I picked one from the list (and only one), and it’s a tough one for me. I’ve written it down and said my prayers for strength. May we each move forward, one day at a time, and see and feel more energy and lightness as we repent and turn again to God.
Timshel (Hebrew for “thou mayest” [rise and conquer])
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