Repentance

1)“That attitude is somewhat like a man being hit by a club. Offended, he takes up a club and beats himself over the head with it all the days of his life. How foolish! How sad! That kind of revenge is self-inflicting. If you have been offended, forgive, forget it, and leave it alone.” (President  Boyd K. Packer Guided by the holy spirit General Conferences April 2012)

2) "Unfortunately however, additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses. And for both debt and addiction, the hopeful solution is the same—we must turn to the Lord and follow His commandments. We must want more than anything else to change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt and our uncontrolled wants. I pray that in the next few minutes, and throughout this conference, you will be filled with hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and find hope in the doctrines of His restored gospel."(Becoming provident providers temporally and spiritually elder hales April 2009)

3) " We must ask for help from our Heavenly Father and seek strength through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ. In both temporal and spiritual things, obtaining this divine assistance enables us to become provident providers for ourselves and others."(Becoming provident providers temporally and spiritually elder hales April 2009)

4) "Should choices be wrong, they can be rectified through repentance. When its conditions are fully met, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, provides a release from the demands of justice for the errors made. It is wondrously simple and so incomparably beautiful. "(How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life General Conferences April 2012)

5)“President Joseph F. Smith taught: “Men cannot forgive their own sins; they cannot cleanse themselves from the consequences of their sins. Men can stop sinning and can do right in the future, and so far [as] their acts are acceptable before the Lord [become] worthy of consideration. But who shall repair the wrongs they have done to themselves and to others, which it seems impossible for them to repair themselves? By the atonement of Jesus Christ the sins of the repentant shall be washed away; though they be crimson they shall be made white as wool [see Isaiah 1:18]. This is the promise given to you.” (President  Boyd K. Packer  Atonement General Conferences October 2012)

6)    “So let us work a little harder at remembering Him—especially that He has “borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … , [that] he was bruised for our iniquities … ; and with his stripes we are healed.” Surely it would guide our actions in a dramatic way if we remembered that every time we transgress, we hurt not only those we love, but we also hurt Him, who so dearly loves us But if we do sin, however serious that sin may be, we can be rescued by that same majestic figure, He who bears the only name given under heaven whereby any man or woman can be saved..”(Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul General Conferences October 2010)

7)“To set aside cherished “weapons of rebellion” such as selfishness, pride, and disobedience requires more than merely believing and knowing. Conviction, humility, repentance, and submissiveness precede the abandonment of our weapons of rebellion. Do you and I still possess weapons of rebellion that keep us from becoming converted unto the Lord? If so, then we need to repent now.”(Converted unto the Lord (General ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR Conferences October 2012)

8)“He asserted that Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness; but until people know and feel they need forgiveness, Christianity does not speak to them. He stated, 'When you know you are sick, you will listen to the doctor.'” (Elder Quentin L. Cook Can Ye Feel So Now? General Conferences October 2012)

9)“Please understand that through the Savior’s Atonement, all can repent and return, like the spring of water, to a clean and pure state. It is difficult to repent; it requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit. But when the steps to repentance are righteously followed, the words spoken by the prophet Alma to his son Corianton, who had been involved in moral transgressions, are applicable: “And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.” The Savior has said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.” “(Elder Quentin L. Cook Stewardship—a Sacred Trust General Conferences October 2010)

10)“Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.” (D. Todd Christofferson The Divine Gift of Repentance General Conferences October 2010)

11)“First, the invitation to repent is an expression of love. […]If we do not invite others to change or if we do not demand repentance of ourselves, we fail in a fundamental duty we owe to one another and to ourselves.[…] Second, repentance means striving to change. It would mock the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for us to expect that He should transform us into angelic beings with no real effort on our part. […]Surely the Lord smiles upon one who desires to come to judgment worthily, who resolutely labors day by day to replace weakness with strength. Real repentance, real change may require repeated attempts, but there is something refining and holy in such striving. […]Third, repentance means not only abandoning sin but also committing to obedience. […]Without this covenant, repentance remains incomplete and the remission of sins unattained. […] Fourth, repentance requires a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere, even through pain.[…] True repentance is not superficial.[…] Confession is a deep, sometimes agonizing acknowledgment of error and offense to God and man. […]With faith in the merciful Redeemer and His power, potential despair turns to hope. One’s very heart and desires change, and the once-appealing sin becomes increasingly abhorrent.[…] Fifth, whatever the cost of repentance, it is swallowed up in the joy of forgiveness.” (D. Todd Christofferson The Divine Gift of Repentance General Conferences October 2010)

Why does it matter?: Part of the atonement of Christ is the fact that we can make mistakes, but through repentance can fix them. Without this mercy justice would claim us all unworthy. However it does take effort. We must truly change our hearts and turn to God. I have a testimony that repentance words and that it isn't just for large transgressions, but for those small things that happen day to day. When we might lie a little or be unkind those things don't have to stay on our soul as a stain as long as we take the time give ourselves over to the savior so he can wash them away. That doesn't mean sin and plan to repent later, it means that we try our best not to sin, but when we ultimately mess of because of the natural man we know we are not lost forever.