"Ye Must Repent"

The all-encompassing theme of the Doctrine of Christ is the commandment to repent. That commandment specifically shows up three times in the few verses where Jesus lays out His doctrine in 3 Nephi 11. Numerous other verses of scripture attest to the primary importance of repentance  (Mosiah 18:20; Mosiah 25:22; Helaman 13:6; D&C 6:9; D&C 11:9). Judging by the importance of this critical component of the Doctrine of Christ, it is seems imperative that you understand it.

But first we must begin by explaining what repentance is not. Repentance is not a checklist of five steps. You might need to recognize what you did wrong. You might feel bad about it. You might find yourself "confessing" to someone. You might provide restitution to a victim. You might end up promising to never do something again. As tempting as may be to turn repentance into a formula, true repentance can't become a list of items that we memorize and check off in sequence.

Repentance is simply turning to God. I'll quote two very good definitions for repentance. The LDS Bible Dictionary says, "The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined."

Wikipedia says, "In Biblical Hebrew, the idea of repentance is represented by two verbs: שוב shuv (to return) and נחם nacham (to feel sorrow). In the New Testament, the word translated as 'repentance' is the Greek word μετάνοια (metanoia), 'after/behind one's mind', which is a compound word of the preposition 'meta' (after, with), and the verb 'noeo' (to perceive, to think, the result of perceiving or observing). In this compound word the preposition combines the two meanings of time and change, which may be denoted by 'after' and 'different'; so that the whole compound means: 'to think differently after'. Metanoia is therefore primarily an after-thought, different from the former thought; a change of mind and change of conduct, 'change of mind and heart', or, 'change of consciousness'."

Turn to God, for He has the answers that you seek. Let Him change your mind and your heart. In other words, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (i.e. very close in proximity - Luke 17:20-21).