"She spoke of wanting to change and repent, but it never seemed to happen." p. 99
"If I were talking to her today, I would speak less to her about the steps that would be required for repentance and much more about the source and power of her ability to change, to repent, and to be forgiven." p. 99
AMULEK
"...an angel of the Lord sent [Alma] back..." p. 99
"Alma went to Amulek's home and stayed with him many days ... Alma strengthened Amulek's faith in Jesus Christ before they went together to preach to the people of Ammonihah." p. 99
"I have always been intrigued by Amulek's words, 'I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know.'" p. 100
"[My friend in seminary] knew, yet she would not know." p. 100
"Amulek ... had to ... open his heart spiritually. He then put his spiritual learning into action. The strengthening of his faith in the Savior brought the changes he needed." p. 100
"Amulek uses the phrase 'faith unto repentance' four times in four verses." p. 101
REPENTANCE BEGINS WITH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
"In order to repent, we need to believe that God will forgive us, and then take the actions needed for us to change." p. 101
President Henry B. Eyring, "Faith is not simply to know God could do something. Faith is to know He will" p. 101
"Faith is multidimensional; it has depth and breadth. Your faith is growing or diminishing. Faith grows and strengthens within us as we desire to believe, as we ponder on the word of God, as we increase the sincerity and frequency of our prayers, as we repent and keep the commandments, and as we experience the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives." p. 101-102
"Faith is something that grows, and as it grows, you receive heavenly gifts, power, and the ability to do what you could not do without it." p. 102
"Faith brings assurance." p. 102
"Our faith in Jesus Christ builds upon itself, experience after experience, feeling after feeling, confirmation after confirmation." p. 102
JACOB & ENOS
"Enos, through the teachings of his father and through his own efforts to be a follower of Jesus Christ, was full of faith in Christ." p. 103
"And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of they faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen." Enos 1:5-8
FAITH IN CHRIST BRINGS THE POWER TO IGNITE TRUE REPENTANCE
President Joseph Fielding Smith: "If we really understood and could feel even to a small degree, the love and gracious willingness on the part of Jesus. Christ to suffer for our sins we would be willing to repent of all our transgressions and serve him." p. 104
"If you find yourself making the same mistakes, struggling to be firm in your desire to change, express to your Heavenly Father your love for Him and strengthen your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Learn of Him, study about His sacred Atonement, and think deeply about what He suffered for you. Keep His commandments with more exactness." p. 104
"You begin feeling His approval because of what you are doing." p. 104
"I promise you that the guilt and pain that have been so much a part of your spirit because of the wrong actions you have taken will be lifted and you will feel clean and pure before Him." p. 105
LANCE
After Lance's prayer and later after the discussion about chapter 8 in his institute class, Lance decided that he had been spiritually coasting for too long. He decided that he would get to know Jesus as his personal Savior and not just as some religious historical figure. Lance knew about Jesus but it was time to get to know Him.
So, Lance began to read the Gospels. He took 10-15 minutes each day to learn about Jesus' character. He began to read the Book of Mormon as if he had never read it before. He began to pray more earnestly. When he would commute to school or work, Lance would turn off the stereo in his car and just talk to Father in Heaven. Sometimes, he would get emotional as he would pour his heart out to God. He had never prayed like this before. He would just tell Heavenly Father what he was feeling and how frustrated he was when he couldn't make the strides he wanted to. Lance also told God about the happy things that were happening in his life, too.
Lance began to prepare for Sunday School lessons, making sure the discussion was always focused on Jesus. Lance made sure to bear testimony of the Savior as he taught. At the temple, he would try not to rush through the session, but try to pay attention to what he could learn about Jesus as he participated in various ordinances.
After about a month of putting forth effort like he never had before, Lance began to sense changes. He hadn't looked at pornography in three weeks. He even asked a woman out on a date and had a good time with her. On one occasion, Lance dropped by at his parents' home, knowing that his brother would be there. Lance noticed that his brother didn't even bother Lance during his visit.
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