Ive broken the law of chastity last week but want to serve a mission. Heavenly Father and Jesus will always help us repent. Therefore, such sins need to be confessed to both the Lord and His priesthood representatives in the Church. This is all so fresh, I was still so against the church probably three days ago, but I want to change. 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. There has been the need for repentance in the world from the time of Adam to the present day. We should repent for the same reason. Will my process be long or will I be excommunicated? The more serious the sin the more time that the Lord, through his Church leaders, will require for the repentance process. They can only do that if they understand repentance and the power of the atonement. Good luck and God bless. Im a female and just recently turned 18. In talking to him, the two of you, together with the Lord, will be able to figure out the seriousness of your sins and how long the repentance process will take. You can start by telling him the generalities of what happened, and he will ask for additional details as he considers them relevant. 2. On the other hand, the foundation of pride is the desire to cover up our own weaknesses and focus on changing our spouses behavior. That is a question you will want to take to the Lord. By forgiving those who trespass against us (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 6:13), the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort to those who have been innocently victimized by the sins of others. Im so terrified because I just want and crave forgiveness. Others withdraw emotionally from the relationship. 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. Heres my question: Im terrified by the possibility of how long the repentance process could take. Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever (D&C 122:9). 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). Do I still need to confess to the bishop even though it has been 7 years and my mistakes were before I was baptised? Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer about our faith, the Church, the people, the doctrine, etc. He knows our mortal trials by firsthand experience., The Atonement not only benefits the sinner but also benefits those sinned againstthat is, the victims. I would feel so guilty for it, and I would tell him I didnt want to anymore, but he guilted me and pressured me and basically forced me into it, and I let him because I was so naive. Delaying repentance slows spiritual momentum and progress. Through the years, I strive myself to repent. Hi, Im in a relationship with a non member and 2 months ago we committed premarital sex and I confessed my sin to our bishop but I didnt mention it more specific but I told him that I broke the law of chastity. 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. We must maintain an unyielding, permanent resolve that we will never repeat the transgression. Bnd I dont know if I have truly sinned or not. What is repentance? Just like when the Nephites went to battle against the Lamanites and prepared themselves with defensive armor, you must be prepared to defend yourself from Satans temptations each day. 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!! As we repent, we continually improve ourselves. Ive never talked to my bishop before about this I think the last time I talked to my bishop was when i was 14. Every one of these miracles was made possible by the healing power of the Atonement. Right now, I am forced to attend a college that I dont like due to issues at my other college aka BYU-Idaho. Thus, step one to truly repenting is to experience godly sorrow, grief over our sin. In order to reach that goal, I encourage you to keep reading and studying the scriptures daily and keep praying daily and attending Church meetings. I love the church and will accept the outcome no matter what, but I cant think of anything more painful than being denied this mission. Yes, that is generally true. I feel like a lot of people get confused about this topic. It is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. There are specific ways in which we can likely improve. But usually, from what I have heard, the waiting period is a matter of weeks, perhaps a couple of months, in a situation like this. In either case,they are seeking encouragement to begin the repentance process. Im proud of you for having the courage to go talk to him. Am afraid to talk it out to my bishop and i dont know. J, When you first confessed to your bishop that you had broken the law of chastity, ideally, he should have asked for more details to make sure he understood the full situation. So Im preparing to serve a mission at the moment. The one thing I havent been able to kick is sexual purity. Remember what Nephi said, Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. I have never act in misconduct on the field before. I bless you to communicate the love of the Savior to your wife and children and to all who know you. Good luck, and God bless. So there goes another broken law of chastity. Repentance is an act of faith in Jesus Christan acknowledgment of the power of His Atonement. In what ways do you think godly sorrow is different from expressions of regret? I have a similar problem. Im talking with my bishop tomorrow. The things you are experiencing will help you grow. The Bible Dictionary tells us that repentance "denotes a change of mind, a fresh . It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. During the process of the Atonement, the Savior suffered all of the pain, sorrow, and grief that we will experience in this life. The Lord does not expect perfection from us at this point in our eternal progression. I feel like a correction needs to be made. I have been clean for 4 months now and feel much better. 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. It seems that raising the bar means one has to repent differently than normal. But when mercy could have been extended by a loving mission president, policy kicked in, and that mercy was withdrawn. Chagrin is not repentance. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. You may have already confessed to Heavenly Father and He may have already forgiven you, yet I still think that with the serious nature of these transgressions, you should talk it over with your bishop. Forgetting to brush your teeth once doesnt ruin your teeth; however, numerous instances of neglect over many years will. Can I still be married in the temple someday, Im 17 years old now and Im confused about it. I never ever been attracted to anyone of the same gender. James, To be honest with you, the chances of you going on a mission may be small. That is a good and righteous desire. Whether or not he can still hold a calling will depend on the seriousness of how he broke the law of chastity. Confession. We went to the Mission Office together and we were placed on a repentace process,we spent about 7days reading the Book of Mormon and having interviews with the Mission President,he said that he has forgiven us since we have the desire to change,but the 8th day,we receive our flight ticket to go home..Infact I have been in a shocked state ever since. No sooner. We pray for you. Engaging in fornication breaks one of God's most . It neutralizes our hurt feelings and makes room in our hearts for love to flourish and grow. If its possible, PUSH (Pray until something happens) Dont feel like you arent getting an answer so why bother, keep praying, remember Ether prayed all day. You should go talk to your bishop right away. -Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.. 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). The first thing youve got to do is to halt the inappropriate behavior. These issues include breaking the law of chastity, so My question is: how long would I have to wait after talking to my bishop before I am worthy to enter the temple again.? JamesE. Faust, The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope, Ensign, Nov. 2001, 1920. Good luck and God bless. He will ask enough questions to understand the situation and how serious it was and what will need to be done to fully repent. How could they make judgments on his heart? He will keep your confession confidential and lovingly help you with anything you need to be clean and worthy before the Lord. The Lord has declared that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven (Alma 11:37). He knows you can succeed, and perhaps this struggle is the best way for you to learn to be humble, meek and submissive to your Heavenly Father. Id be happy to quit because smoking weed does not bring me joy, but Im more concerned with the result of this sin. Because of the intricacies of each individual case, this process can take a long time to complete. Mortification and shame alone bring no change of heart toward right feeling and right living. With your former bishop now in the stake presidency, you can still talk to him to get encouragement, guidance, and support. Regarding a temple recommend, for that you definitely will need to talk to your bishop. Am I allowed to be a missionary in my older age, to serve in the Church, or to even reach the highest degree of Celestial glory? Please look to your bishop as a friend who is there to help you, which he really is. Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. I have been researching this for the past two years. Repent! I finally have come to my senses and I want to repent and never do this again. To become free from it, we must turn to our Heavenly Father, pray in faith, and act as He asks us to. Nevertheless, it sounds to me like the Spirit of God is urging you to go talk to the bishop again, so I always encourage people to follow those promptings. So where do you begin? Good luck and God bless. Everyone in my church looks up to me and I dont want them to see me not taking the sacrament and think differently of me. Faith in Jesus Christ naturally leads to repentance. May God bless and be with you. The LDS Church Handbook for bishops and stake presidents says that a person who has been guilty of serious violation of the law of chastity must fully repent before they can go on a mission and partake of the other privileges mentioned above. Sometimes, Ive wondered if Ill ever be able to go on a mission. Godly sorrow does NOT come from feeling guilt that you caused Christ to suffer additional pain. Another way we can also do better and be better is how we honor the women in our lives, beginning with our wives and daughters, our mothers and sisters.15, Months ago, I received a heartbreaking letter from a dear sister. We get some insight into repentance by studying the law of sacrifice, given to Moses as a type to point forward to the coming Atonement of Christ. Im losing my hope of marrying in the temple because of the sin I committed and what my teacher told us? Your bishop is the one who determines that. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. so around 4 years ago I broke the law of chastity. Too many people consider repentance as punishmentsomething to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. We didnt have sex but close, and after I ended things for that reason, my mindset changed and for some reason I thought it was ok to break the law of chastity. Does your call get postponed? What happens when you have went a certain amount of months without pornography and masturbation and receive a mission call and you report in lets say 2 weeks and you violate the law of chastity and youve already talked to your bishop? There are exceptions, but they are rare. As a recent convert in April, I was planning on waiting my year then leaving for my mission the next April Having recently breaking the law of chastity, would I still be able to go in April?? It is time to put on the full armor of God so we can engage in the most important work on earth. No bishop and none of your friends and family who truly know you, will think ill of you because you are working towards full repentance. How can I go about this? 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. Maedros. That was a blessing that Elder Cook says will continue to benefit families . 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