hello everyone welcome to follow him favorites my name is Hank Smith I'm here with the wonderful John by the way we are the co-hosts of a podcast called follow him this year are follow him favorites is taking on a specific question given to us from you so why I say someone younger whose who just has a question about the gospel and we're going to we're going to answer is that specific question the question received this week John is this idea of if I Repent of something and then and then do it again can I Repent of the same sin basically over and over that allowed right what does God think about that I've received that question before from students who feel like we're our young people who feel like man I'm I'm no good at repenting right because here I am repenting but I'm preparing for the same thing what would you say good question I think I had it as a kid but I think one of one of my favorite synonyms for repentance to turn one of the things that I find fascinating Stephen Covey talked about it once is that an airplane is off course
 ninety percent of the time you fly across the Pacific Ocean New York to London or something you are off course 90% of the time but the airplane just keeps turning turning back the autopilot just kind of crosses the sure I keep turning back to OnCourse finally lands on the numbers pulled up to the gate and you walk out the jetway exactly where you're supposed to be which is incredible you can be off for 90% of the time and get where you're going yeah because you keep on turning and that's why I like that synonym of repent is to turn I like that that's a daily that looks like a a journey like a flight is a journey there's a scripture in the doctrine covenants it confuses people sometimes John it's section 82 verse 7 that where the Lord says but under the Soviet the so who sent it to Sheldon former sins return saith the Lord your God we've taken that to mean oh well if you repent and then do it again
 now you're guilty of all the same kind of reminds me of a great Parable Jesus told where he said listen if there is a if a man cast an evil spirit out of his house he said really I thought he meant his life if he Man cast an evil spirit Hurst in out of his life but then he doesn't do anything else it doesn't fill his house that that that evil spirit or that sin is going to come back and he's going to find a vacant house right there's a hasn't filled his life with anyting and so he's going to invite him to the send back and six of his evil spirit friends so he said the now that that man is worse off than he was when he started I think that's what the Lord is referring to here in section 82 is the idea of like if you spin and you repent get rid of that sin and you don't do anything else you don't feel that spot that void in your life then something else
 going to come in that sense going to come back and and and return back to your life so I would say to anyone who's worried about worried about this keep repenting of that same sin keep casting that Spirit but also put good things into your life right start inserting more scripture study more Temple attendance more more prayer all these Basics insert them into your life so those former sins can't return that's how I read that verse anyway and I found it to be a little more empowering then discouraging Christian you know it's also encouraging to me Hank is that Jesus would tell I mean with disciples are my brother and seven times is that enough and he's like well actually a hyperbole is what 7 * 70 whatever + 400
 and I think it's a large going to ask that of us he's probably he's equally forgiving and absolutely he knows that we're going to need to eat to keep course-correcting a lot so that gives me a lot and hopefully it's helpful in fact John you view pretty much quoted The Book of Mormon their mosiah 2630 the Lord says ye as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me so how often can't how how many times can you repent it seems it when the Lord says as often as my people repent meaning he knows we're going to need to repent often he's saying this isn't a one-time thing this is a daily thing as often as my people repent will I forgive them we have a very merciful Lord
 yeah I did tell you it's got to be real it's sincere really is repentance and I think he'll yell you make progress when you keep repainting and did those things will become less enticing to you that's an important point is to say that just because you return to ascend doesn't mean that first repentance wasn't sincere it was it was sincere and your you just keep trying was it was that Brad our friend Brad brother Wilcox who who said listen worthiness is not laws meant that was the title of his talk and it was it's called being a disciple discipline disciple same word that you keep getting back on track now you don't plan to send no that's not what we're after you're trying you're sincerely trying and that's also what Brad said you're not trying to hide that you're seeing your Bishop but you know you are trying and make to make those course Corrections reminded me of something that Elder renlund said in the April
 2015 General Conference he said quote even if we've been a conscious deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment the moment we decide to try again the atonement of Christ can help us this is idea of the Lord understands even the deliberate Center you know I made a mistake at 8 it said no idea if I actually will fully when after this sin now I don't I'm I'm sad I did that I want to turn around the moment we decide to try that
 they told me to Christ except that we we tap into that power that's why I like that it's turned just keep getting back on course and you'll get to your destination with the help of the other savior but you got to keep getting back on course the ideas I just won't stop trying I can't say I'm never going to commit a sin again I can commit that I won't stop trying to become like him do what he wants me to do and I'm honest in that I won't stop trying and overtime you know Joseph Smith says we can eventually week we lose desire for sin but he said it's a station to which no one ever arrived in a moment so it's a it's a process just keep trying and hopefully it will become less appealing to you and less and less and you'll start you'll Taste of bitter and know the price the good as we learned in Moses six doesn't happen in a moment doesn't happen in a moment and that's okay the Lord the Lord understands you he gets you he knows why you do
 you do he's not disgusted by you he's not what did what were you thinking right they get you he understands your your childhood your personality your DNA you're so go to him the one who understand you well John what's they got another question next week we hope all of you will join us for follow him favorites