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). What happens is this situation? As far as I know, there is no mandatory repentance time for masturbation. I want to serve a mission, but know this sin from a couple months ago is holding me back. I just want to ask in what way I need to confess, especially because I dont find it comfortable to talk to a man about this stuff. A temple marriage is a wonderful goal, the best goal if you ask me, as a faithful temple marriage is necessary to prepare ourselves to return to the presence of God in the Celestial Kingdom (D&C 131:1-3). Two scriptures come to mind that may help: We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. Answer. I know it will take a lot of courage to do all that you need to do, but you can do it. But as for being able to serve a mission in Feb or Mar of next year, from what I can tell, that shouldnt be an issue, assuming you stay worthy and continue to prepare yourself physically and spiritually. Repentance in the Church requires confession to a priesthood authority, abandonment of the sin, usually a disciplinary council, the withdrawal of blessings, and, in time, the restoration of blessings as long as the offender stays on the straight and narrow path. From the ages of around 12-14 I was struggling with an addiction to pornography. 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. Regardless of the time frame, please always strive to move forward, keeping your covenants, and following the path of our Savior Jesus Christ. I am not absolving him of responsibility. We are Their servants. "This path is rigorous and at times will feel like a steep climb. I appreciate your candidness. I plead with you to be the men and young men the Lord needs you to be. He will love and support you and help you through this difficult period in your life. Just please help me. 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). -If you have committed a serious crime, such as one that would cause you to be sent to prison. Im lost and dont know who to turn to. Ive just been to scare to, Ill do what you suggest. We are so close that there came a time that she states her love for me. Here is my problem. Perhaps dont focus so much on your weakness and sins and overcoming them as on building your relationship with Heavenly Father, then you will succeed!! In fact, after disobeying God, they hid from God (Genesis 3:8). But seeing how you were involved, even if unwillingly, it would probably be beneficial for all parties, you and the boy and your bishop, for you to go talk to the bishop. James, To be honest with you, the chances of you going on a mission may be small. But all thats left is seeing a bishop. After We Repent, We Need to Let Go and Trust God. The mission president wanted to keep my friend in the mission field, but he counseled with the mission department which ordered the missionary home. Remember the words of Isaiah, 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) and what the Lord told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.. Regarding the partaking of the sacrament, that is a personal decision you should make so pay close attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I have already told many people that I plan to leave soon, and I dont want everyone to know about what happened. Good luck, and God bless. It sounds like you are doing the right things to bring your life in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. In what ways do you think godly sorrow is different from expressions of regret? Will I have to stop taking the sacrament for this? So I would start by continuing to do the things that have brought you this far on your spiritual journey, continue attending church and Seminary and listen with an open heart and mind. Sometimes it is necessary to apologize more than once, especially if the offense is particularly hurtful. I think it is a major step of faith to go talk to your bishop and confess your actions, not knowing if it will delay your mission or not. I wouldnt say that my sin is any lesser than anybody else thats why I ask, But because I just want to receive the kind of help with regards to what I did. Be her partner. He will help you repent, which is the most important focus for you right now, and also he will be able to tell you if a mission could still be in your future. His final words to her were go and sin no more. Good luck and God bless. I am obviously too old now to serve a mission anyways and this is not my question. At times, we should fast for special blessings. To make our repentance complete we must keep the commandments of the Lord (see D&C 1:32). I love Heavenly Father and I have a strong testimony of Christs atonement. For example adultery, a married person having sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse, is among the most serious sexual sins. This college doesnt have LDS principles which makes it more difficult for me to not be desensitized to it. Repentance is for our eternal happiness, and we should feel joy as we willingly repent of our sins. Thanks! I havent talked to my bishop yet because Im scared of what will happen. This means that when we make a wrong choice, we can repent and feel peace and happiness again. Please be open and honest with him and Im sure he will help you get ready and leave on a mission as soon as possible. receive (and retain) until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of His holy prophets' (Acts 3:19 to 21). When I was 12 or 13, I left the Church after my dad stopped going after he stumbled on some information about Joseph Smith and Church history. For example, if a person has been excommunicated and then rebaptized, he cannot serve as a bishop. Nothing on TV, a mobile device, or a computer is more important than her well-being. Be prayerful, drink deeply from the scriptures, and I know that through the power of God you will be able to overcome it and be able to return to live with your Father in Heaven in Celestial glory. Come to God through prayer, scripture study, and religious devotion. Ultimately, its impossible for me to judge this situation. My question is how long do i have to wait before i can take the sacrament? Then one day, she invited me to go to their house and play with their computer. To become free from it, we must turn to our Heavenly Father, pray in faith, and act as He asks us to. Now, to make the repentance complete, you need to also confess. The LDS Church Handbook for bishops and stake presidents says this period can be as long as three years for multiple serious transgressions and should not be less than one year from the most recent serious incident for a person who has been guilty of serious violation of the law of chastity. Her input will improve your output. How detailed on confessing masturbation? However, we can read some passages that show us that Adam and Eve could have repented of their sins. In closing, I would like to briefly discuss the blessings of repentance. 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. I want to be cleansed again. Repentance is timeless. 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. But if the missionary hasnt left yet, Im not sure what they will say. I really dont know what steps to take next because I would really like to gain a testimony of the church, however I am a very logical thinker and it is very hard for me to do this. Lets say you broke the law of chasity for about a year, then you decided to go on a mission and started a repentance process, but after 6 months you started comittimg the same sins again for about 7 months. See RussellM. Nelson, Repentance and Conversion, 1034. I feel absolutely terrible right now knowing that I probably cant serve a mission. Hey Jimmy If the Holy Spirit is prompting you to talk to the bishop about it, then you definitely should. Ive been a hard working members of the church my entire life. We should repent for the same reason. Have faith, be prayerful, immerse yourself in the scriptures and the word of God, and let the Holy Spirit be your guide. That went on for about 2 years, on and off. How do we repent? Hey, so I got exposed to pornography around the age of 9 or 10 and was on and off up until now. Ive never had the desire to serve a mission, but yesterday the idea came to me. The long answer is that there are some exceptions to that rule if you have committed very serious sins. But I am worried as far as serving a mission, can I still serve a mission if I have used an illegal drug? Susan, It sounds like you know what you need to do. In your case, if you just had a serious law of chastity violation, it will likely be a year before you get your temple recommend back. How can I go about this? Thus, step one to truly repenting is to experience godly sorrow, grief over our sin. Unfortunately, for some couples the bliss of deep love and immensely satisfying companionship does not last. Do you think it is too late for me to serve a mission? For adultery, the Church tells local priesthood leaders that there is a mandatory one-year repentance process, though it could be two or three years depending on the seriousness of the sin and what the priesthood leaders feel is the right thing to do. How do I get over this, if I go to the bishop will I get excommunicated or made to do some horrible thing? Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. Im so terrified because I just want and crave forgiveness. 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.. Later though I was involved with a guy, non member, who I went a little too far with. Follow their counsel and hopefully, you will be able to return to the mission field soon. I have also asked the Lord in prayer if this is something that I should tell my bishop and my parents about but ive never really felt the urge to do it. To teach the people to repent and to obtain the power of repentance in their personal lives so that they could develop self-control and get their feet on the path that leads to salvation. [repentance] is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. Not by guilt that comes from the feeling of causing additional pain to the savior. Remember what the Lord told Hyrum Smith, Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. (D&C 11:21). It is something I need to discuss with a bishop, I know that. But whether you end up going on a mission or not, the most important thing is to get yourself worthy before the Lord. When i became inactive i would only repent once every few months. Only his priesthood leaders, like his bishop and stake president, can determine how serious the transgression is and if he should or should not have a church calling. Moroni had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing. (Alma 43:19). Because of that, Ive searched lds articles about the ways to be truly repentant or how do we know if we are forgiven because I had this burning desire to be forgiven and endure righteousness in my life. But again, it sounds to me like nothing occurred which would delay you from serving a mission. Your bishop will need to know all that happened, but I wouldnt classify his questions as an effort to know every single detail. I have a question. He will understand your difficult situation and help you through it. Your quorum and those in your ward or branch need your strength. I know I did wrong and have learned from my mistakes, is it possible for me to not have to wait a year? We are not fully repentant if we do not pay tithes or keep the Sabbath day holy or obey the Word of Wisdom. They often enjoy having long conversations, going for walks, and spending time together. But through this journey I have come to know that as long as I can remember in my heart and hope to believe that I was a good girl once upon a time and that I over came Satan and his plan before (I have a body and he doesnt) well, I can over come him again and shouldnt let him torment me or make me feel worthless and like trash over anything, be it sexual impurities or just daily life. He didnt ask me when the last time I viewed it was though. But what if we cant simply forgive, forget, and move on? If we have stolen something, we will steal no more. When we experience godly sorrow, we have a sincere desire for change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness. Focusing on your relationship with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, removes even the thought of your weakness and sins from your mind. Oh and I forgot to mention: I stopped this sin 9 months ago. My father was excommunicated from the LDS church over adultery as he was too weak to overcome the temptation not to do it, and he has no desire to repent and come back to the LDS church because of this incident. I have tried my best to keep all the commandments in the church and the fact that I did this is killing me within. Im 18 and its currently January, I hope to put my mission papers in April. Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever (D&C 122:9). He hates you and wants to destroy you, just the same as he did and does God and Christ. But were a bit afraid that he will be ex communicated if we confess. Am I still eligible to go? It also involves touching and kissing, i think it can be describe as light petting. Though there were times that I had unwanted thoughts again or had watched movies with romance, I did still really control myself and repent until the time came that Ive seen myself change and started to make things better with God. Ive read a phrase in an article and said confess to your bishop, but Ive also read saying that God will not judge us by the things we did in the past, but will judge us for what weve become. They get rid of it. That was a blessing that Elder Cook says will continue to benefit families . I testify that the Savior not only heals broken souls; He also heals broken hearts. I hope this answers your question. And also remember that reaching perfection is a process that takes a long time, throughout this life and beyond. God bless. But when mercy could have been extended by a loving mission president, policy kicked in, and that mercy was withdrawn. What should I say to them? Is there mercy for me? We must fill our lives with righteousness and engage in activities that bring spiritual power. Whether you follow Satan or not, he will hate you! Keep a prayer in your heart always!! Godly sorrowthe broken heart and contrite spiritis much more than remorse or regret over having sinned. Im just not sure Ill be able to go. If we do not fully understand the word 'repent', then we cannot form the close and lasting relationship that God requires of us. I know the Book of Mormon is true. What you tell the bishop he will definitely keep confidential, though he may encourage you to talk to your parents about the situation if he thinks they should know and could help. When we get up in the morning, we should examine ourselves to see whether the Spirit of God is with us. Why does it still come back to me? See Deuteronomy 26:8; 2Nephi 1:15; Mormon 6:17; Doctrine and Covenants 6:20. We love you. In giving us the gift of a body, God has allowed us to take a vital step toward becoming more like Him. Through this difficult period in your ward or branch need your strength, Ensign or Liahona Nov.! Something, we have stolen something, we will steal no more they from... Once, especially if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to talk to the will. 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