Living in a Repentant State
Scriptures—Alma 40:12, Alma 13:16, and Romans 4:6—lead me to believe that a state of rest is repentance. Footnote to Romans 4:6 from Thomas Wayment’s New Testament: The intent of the Greek is that David had spoken of a state of blessedness for those who have been forgiven.
What does living in a repentant state look like?
M. Catherine Thomas from The God Seed
“This lifetime is precious, and its moments are precious, and not for dawdling too much. Let us consider our whole life the laboratory of our spiritual practice.”
“Perhaps “clean” finally amounts to full surrender of each thought or feeling to the Lord.”
“Intend to monitor your mind, becoming aware when a negative thought or feeling arises. Often the feeling in your stomach alerts you. But just awareness itself can be curative.”
“In our church classes we may hear or even teach these formulas, where we say that the Lord can only respond if we do this and this and this. But my experience, and likely yours too, is that the Lord is not following many formulas.”
John Tanner’s thoughts about directing questions from Jesus in the scriptures toward himself: “The Lord’s questions call me home. They draw me back to my true self, to my eternal nature. While sin leads me ever farther away from myself, into a realm of masks and error, the Lord’s interrogatives invite me to claim my true name—son of God—and beckon me to my true home.”
Being aware of my weaknesses, blindspots, disconnects
Humility in approaching others
Looking for warning signals that I am about to say or type something I will regret—is there a quiet voice suggesting I change what I am about to say or write?
I repented of my thoughts and then received the blessing of a vision
Finds that one must be present to be in a repentant state - distractions can prevent repentance - reduce the distractions to know what is needed
Can feel awful and tries to recorrect - won't feel that pit if in a repentant state
What is the process? Time, sitting uncomfortably with what has been done, turning toward Christ again
Fearful to ask what to repent for - concerned about what the answers or onslaught will be
Realizing that I am not in charge, the Lord is in charge - surrender to the Lord with what I am worried about
Do we keep the lake waters at peace?
Analyze the state of my ego. How willing am I to be wrong? How willing am I to be non-protective or defensive of my ego? There is a balance—sometimes, our ego protects us.
Ego-check: Do I always have to be right? If so, why?
We both can be right, and we both can be wrong
Re-evaluate my stance and opinions—is there room for change, expansion, and growth in my opinions?
God asks Adam and Eve a question. God knows the answer but asks anyway because Adam and Eve have agency.
Sustaining for callings, recommend interviews, return and report, all things point toward living in a repentant state.
How long does the repentant state last?
Scriptures, Books, Essays Discussed
Scriptures—Alma 40:12, Alma 13:16, and Romans 4:6—lead me to believe that a state of rest is repentance. Thomas Wayment’s New Testament footnote to Romans 4:6: “The intent of the Greek is that David had spoken of a state of blessedness for those who have been forgiven.”
The God Seed by M. Catherine Thomas.
John S. Tanner. “Responding to the Lord’s Questions.” The Ensign Magazine. April 2022. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/04/responding-to-the-lords-questions?lang=eng
What Seek Ye? How the Questions of Jesus Lead Us to Him by S. Michael Wilcox