“Come unto Me with
Full Purpose of Heart,
and I Shall Heal You”
By Elder Patrick Kearon
By Elder M. Russell Ballard O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One
By President Boyd K. Packer “Cleansing the Inner Vessel”
By Elder Per G. Malm Rest unto Your Souls
Why
do we repent? What do we feel that encourages us? How do we recognize the
opportunity to change?
(the
holy ghost) (Ashamed, humbled)
The
Holy Ghost is the only guide to happiness we have. It is most important to know
what it is and what it is not, for the difference is very stark. Home vs. Mission
Why
do we procrastinate repentance?
“We tell ourselves we’re not really doing anything that wrong,
that it doesn’t really matter, and that nothing all that bad will result from
letting go just a little from the iron rod. Perhaps we console ourselves with
the thought that everyone else is doing it—or doing worse—and we won’t be
negatively affected anyway. We somehow convince ourselves that we are the
exception to the rule and therefore immune to the consequences of breaking it.
We refuse, sometimes willfully, to be “exactly obedient” 1—as it says
in Preach My Gospel —and we hold back a portion of our hearts from the Lord.
And then we get stung.”
Elder Kearon gives a personal examples
“I disregarded what I knew to be
right.
I ignored what my parents had repeatedly taught me.
I had been both lazy and a little rebellious”
President Packer shares an example
“Years ago I visited a school in Albuquerque. The teacher told
me about a youngster who brought a kitten to class. As you can imagine, that
disrupted everything. She had him hold the kitten up in front of the children.
It went well until one of the children asked, “Is it a boy kitty
or a girl kitty?”
Not wanting to get into that lesson, the teacher said, “It
doesn’t matter. It’s just a kitty.”
But they persisted. Finally, one boy raised his hand and said,
“I know how you can tell.”
Resigned to face it, the teacher said, “How can you tell?”
And the student answered, “You can vote on it!”
You may laugh at this story, but if we are not alert,
there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws
that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of
God’s laws and nature. A law against nature would be impossible to enforce. For
instance, what good would a vote against the law of gravity do?”
What is the example he is teaching here? (Social acceptance, peer pressure, in
the name of love)
President Packer gave a very defining talk, very controversial
for some. We must remember that
the first commandment is to love one another as we are loved by the Savior, we
must also remember that the guilty taketh the truth to be hard. We must
remember that we are on this earth to fight for the winning side. We are the
army of God.
The old saying “The Lord is voting for me, and Lucifer is voting
against me, but it is my vote that counts” describes
a doctrinal certainty that our agency is more powerful than the adversary’s
will. Agency is precious. We can foolishly, blindly give it away, but it cannot
be forcibly taken from us…There is something very liberating when an
individual determines of his or her own free will to be obedient to our Father
and our God and expresses that willingness to Him in prayer.
On this the gospel is very plain.
We are free to ignore the commandments, but when the revelations
speak in such blunt terms, such as “thou shalt not,” we had better pay
attention.
In what ways do we foolishly and blindly give away our agency?
1. The battle over man’s God-given agency continues today. Satan
and his minions have their lures all around us, hoping that we will falter and
take his flies so he can reel us in with counterfeit means. He uses addiction to steal away agency.
According to the dictionary, addiction of any kind means to surrender to
something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent on some
life-destroying substance or behavior. 1
Researchers tell us there is a mechanism in our brain called the
pleasure
center. When activated by certain drugs or behaviors, it overpowers the part of our brain that governs our will-
power, judgment, logic, and morality. This leads the addict to abandon what he
or she knows is right. And when that happens, the hook is set and Lucifer takes
control.
Medical research describes addiction as “a disease of the
brain.” 4 This is true, but I believe that once Satan has someone in
his grasp, it also becomes a disease of the spirit…
Satan knows how to exploit and ensnare us with artificial
substances and behaviors of
temporary pleasure. I have observed
the impact when one struggles to win back control, to become free from
destructive abuse and addiction, and to regain self- esteem and independence.
Remember, brothers and sisters, any kind of addiction is to
surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent.
2. In view of our existence as spirit children before we came to
earth and immortality in the life hereafter, this earth life is indeed but a
very short moment.
It is, however, a day of probation, but it is also a day of opportunities when we choose to follow the
invitation to not waste the days of our probation (see 2 Nephi 9:27). The thoughts that we dwell on inside our
minds, the feelings we foster inside our hearts, and the actions we choose to
take will all have a determining impact on our lives, both here and in the
hereafter.
Substances, behaviors, and thoughts, wasting the days of our
probation: Don’t let him take control. It’s about hating the sin and not the
sinner, including when we are the sinner.
Sometimes, even after confession and paying penalties, the most
difficult part of repentance is to forgive one’s self. You must come to know
that forgiveness means forgiveness.
Part of winning the battle is to really know for your what
Heavenly father wants you to do.
Let him be your captain. Let us know what he wan’t us to do, we can as
they say, “Enter into God’s Rest”. How?
President Joseph F. Smith said: “To my mind, it means entering
into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his
plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting
for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the
cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. We know of the
doctrine that it is of God, and we do not ask any questions of anybody about
it; they are welcome to their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries.
The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear
have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest’” (Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 56).
I always think who hears these talks? Is it the people who have
lived in years of inactivity? Maybe. Is it those who have committed murder,
adultery, or theft? Maybe. Which degrees of sinners will more then likely hear
this message? Those who have daily sins yet take time to read the words of the
prophets. Who ever we are, for God
is not respecter of persons :
The scriptures teach us that “the Lord requireth the heart,” and we are commanded to love the Lord
and serve Him with “all [our] heart.” The promise
is that we “may stand blame- less before God at the last day” and return to His
presence.
If anyone who is addicted has a desire to overcome, then there
is a way to spiritual freedom—a way to escape from bondage—a way that is
proven. It begins with prayer—sincere, fervent, and constant communication with
the Creator of our spirits and bodies, our Heavenly Father. It is the same
principle in breaking a bad habit or repenting from sin of any kind.
The formula for having our heart, our body, our mind, and our
spirit trans- formed is found in the scriptures.
The prophet Mormon counseled us: “Wherefore, my beloved breth-
ren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled
with this love . . . ; that ye may become the sons of God; . . . that we may be
purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48).
This and many other scriptures
testify to us there is hope for the addicted, and this hope
comes through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and by humbling oneself
before God, pleading to be freed of the bondage of addiction and offering our
whole soul to Him in fervent prayer.
The anti-Lehi-Nephits 5 Their conversion was so complete and so pro- found that
they “never did fall away. Even when they had to sacrifice their children for
it.
The Savior assures, “If they
harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me,
they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” 9 You and I can
accept His invitation to “return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose
of heart, and I shall heal [you].” 10 give our
whole hearts to Him, holding nothing back. Then He can heal us. President James
E. Faust taught:
“When obedience becomes our goal, it is no longer an irritation;
instead of a stumbling block, it becomes a building block…
When we learn to handle the small and simple daily things in a
wise and inspired way, the result is a positive influence that will solidify
harmony in our souls and build up and strengthen those around us.
The Promises of the Prophets
It is through the healing Atonement of Jesus Christ that we may
have the strength to stand tall and strong and to have our souls be filled—with
light, understanding, joy, and love.
The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed
in strength the awesome power of the tempter
Set aside all pride and turn your life and your heart to Him.
Ask to be filled with the power of Christ’s pure love. You may have to do this
many times, but I testify to you that your body, mind, and spirit can be
transformed, cleansed, and made whole, and you will be freed.
Because our goal is to become more like our Savior and to
eventually qualify to live with our Heavenly Father, each of us needs to
experience the mighty change in our hearts described by the
prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 5:14). Our love for
our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be reflected in our
daily choices and actions.
A mighty change of heart. Your whole Heart and soul. As we leave
RS today I ask you to ponder this question? Do we need this change just once?
Or does it need to be more of a daily occurance?
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