Do not delay repentance, Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve urged Saturday afternoon.

"Those temptations to delay come from our enemy Lucifer," he explained. "He knows that we can only have that true happiness if we are washed clean through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by deep and continuing repentance, and the making and keeping of sacred covenants offered through only God's authorized servants."

However, Elder Eyring said, there are truths that expose lies that are intended to tempt one to procrastinate repentance. "Let's start with the deception, which is so attractive, that we have no need to repent. The truth is that we all need repentance. If we are capable of reason and past the age of 8, we all need the cleansing that comes through applying the full effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

"A second truth about our accountability," Elder Eyring continued, "is to know that we are not the helpless victims of our circumstances. The world tries to tell us that the opposite is true: imperfections in our parents or our faulty genetic inheritance are presented to us as absolving us of personal responsibility. But difficult as circumstances may be, they do not relieve us of accountability for our actions or our inactions.

"Similarly, the world might be willing to excuse our bad behavior because those around us behave badly. It is not true that the behavior of others removes our responsibility for our own. God's standards for our behavior are unchanged whether or not others choose to rise to them."

Elder Eyring added: "Finally, we are personally accountable because the Lord has given us ample warning. We receive the Spirit of Christ at birth to tell us right from wrong and to allow us to experience the connection between sin and unhappiness, and it is real. From the beginning of time He has sent prophets to speak against sin and to invite faith and repentance."

But even the acceptance of personal responsibility does not always overcome the temptation to procrastinate repentance. "Later" can appear so much easier, Elder Eyring added. "The truth is that today is always a better day to repent than any tomorrow. First, sin has its debilitating effects on us. The very faith we need to repent is weakened by delay. And second, even should we be forgiven at some later time, the Lord cannot restore the good effect our repentance today might have had on those we love and are to serve."

In speaking of the repentance process, Elder Eyring ex-plained that for all, "repentance will surely include passing through the portal of humble prayer."

He also admonished those listening to not succumb to the temptation that it is too late or too hard to repent. "Those in our families who love us, on both sides of the veil, would say as we consider whether to humble our hearts and repent: " 'Please, do not delay.