I've been bouncing around the Standard Works, mainly cross-referencing lately. In the New Testament, the Savior is talking to His senior-most apostle, Peter before He begins his pain and suffering. He says:

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

 (Luke 22:31-32 - Bold added for emphasis)

To the casual reader, this might seem like a strange thing to say. Especially to one who has been there with Jesus for three years and have witnessed many miracles throughout those years. Yet, a loving Savior understands that conversion is more than observing miracles. Conversion is a complete turn from what one believes to what a person knows. True conversion is something that a person would have no desire to return to their former selves, but ever-improve upon.

The Savior knew that His mortal ministry was coming to a close and that the mantle of Priesthood leadership would fall upon Peter. He knew that, as just a few short verses, he told Peter that, "the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34)" and that in fact, Peter did deny he knew Christ when he was questioned by the people of the high priests house. And then, the hard reality of his conversion came when the scriptures record:

And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

 (Luke 22:61-62)

How many times have we read or heard prophets and apostles say something of a sort of warning, be it personal or otherwise to have us either ignore it, overlook it, or justify that we are not in that category? And then when things start to occur in our lives, we are brought to remembrance of those words? Do we weep bitterly because of our inaction or in attention or do we schluff it off?

The Lord does speak to us personally and through others constantly. It is all up to our frame of mind. If we are not willing to hear, the promptings and messages borne to us are, "...dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Acts 28:27)". Many times in my life, I have heard that proverbial cock crow and I am made humble by remembering those words.

The first step to conversion is to cry out as Martha did before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, "Yea Lord, I believe..." True and complete conversion is not normally an overnight process. It is a life-long pursuit and may not be finished by the time we leave this mortal probation. We can take "baby steps" of true conversion by examining our lives and deciding which of our many shortcomings we wish to concentrate on. The steps are familiar. They are:
  • Recognizing that we have a shortcoming. The Holy Ghost will bear witness of this to us.
  • Feeling Godly sorrow that we have that shortcoming. As Peter, we may weep bitterly, in open or privately.
  • Praying to our Father in Heaven, confessing of that shortcoming. He already knows all of our shortcomings. This is our proving our obedience to The Lord by coming forth.
  • Praying to our Father in Heaven for forgiveness of that shortcoming. 
  • Make restriction of that shortcoming, if applicable.
  • Forsake that shortcoming. If we have felt the Godly sorrow for that shortcoming, we will have no desire to repeat it. This is easier said than done in many of my personal shortcomings.
  • Forgive yourself of that shortcoming. This is an often overlooked step. The Lord may have forgiven us of that shortcoming, but we harrow it and dwell upon it. If "I the Lord remember them no more" then it would behoove us to forgive ourselves too. 
Then after following the steps above, you will receive forgiveness of that shortcoming, and you will become strengthened so you can be converted from that shortcoming. And as a result, you are then ready to "strengthen thy brethren" through example and testimony.

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