Wickedness
I am "born in sin" because I have wants, needs, and desires which are not in accordance with the will of my Father in Heaven. As I seek to fulfill these I am living in sin; I am a sinful man, or a wicked man. Wickedness is not evil, it is merely doing what comes naturally and trying to get what I want. Any sort of selfish or self-seeking behavior is wickedness.
Seeking what we want, living in sin, or remaining in our wickedness is not limited to "evil" things. It's true that we must give up all our evil, such as lying, cheating, stealing, killing, and so forth, but we may also be asked to sacrifice that which we consider to be "good." Having a family is good, generally, but not if it is not the Lord's will for us. Many people go against the will of the Lord because they don't want to give up their own desires. The Pharisees felt that they kept the Law of Moses with exactness and therefore had no sin. The Rich Young Ruler told Jesus, "All these I have kept from my youth!" They had repented of the evil, not doing that which was destructive, but they remained in wickedness because they weren't actually doing the will of God -- they were still seeking after their own desires.
I am "born in sin" because I have wants, needs, and desires which are not in accordance with the will of my Father in Heaven. As I seek to fulfill these I am living in sin; I am a sinful man, or a wicked man. Wickedness is not evil, it is merely doing what comes naturally and trying to get what I want. Any sort of selfish or self-seeking behavior is wickedness.
Seeking what we want, living in sin, or remaining in our wickedness is not limited to "evil" things. It's true that we must give up all our evil, such as lying, cheating, stealing, killing, and so forth, but we may also be asked to sacrifice that which we consider to be "good." Having a family is good, generally, but not if it is not the Lord's will for us. Many people go against the will of the Lord because they don't want to give up their own desires. The Pharisees felt that they kept the Law of Moses with exactness and therefore had no sin. The Rich Young Ruler told Jesus, "All these I have kept from my youth!" They had repented of the evil, not doing that which was destructive, but they remained in wickedness because they weren't actually doing the will of God -- they were still seeking after their own desires.
People often follow the Lord as long as they get what they want, but as soon as their own needs aren't being filled, they quit. They think that life is all about getting their needs met. They believe in God, but see Him as a filler of needs. Many pray sincerely for God to give them what they want, asking Him to keep them in wickedness. At some point, though, He may say, "No" to help them out of their lost and fallen state, and they get angry and bitter that they didn't get what they wanted, thus remaining in wickedness.
Repentance
I have lived my life as a Pharisee, not understanding the meaning of "repentance." I would lie, cheat, and steal, committing all sorts of sins to get what I wanted. I thought repentance was simply to stop doing these. I thought I was to obey the "Thou shalt not..." commandments, but that I could, or should, continue to seek my own desires -- without lying or killing. This, of course, is an imperative part of repentance, but is only half. The other half is to actually give up my selfishness. Repenting of all my sins means that I no longer do my own will at all.
The story of Jonah is about a servant of God who decided not to do as the Lord asked. The consequence of his wickedness was to be thrown overboard into the water, and swallowed by a fish. But the Lord had mercy on him and he was still chosen to do that work, if he was willing. He did, and was blessed. He was a prophet, he was a servant of God, he had received a calling from the Lord so he knew the language of the Spirit and the Gospel. He was able to teach. His only need was to repent of doing his own will.
I have found that my feelings tell me when I am against the will of God. If I am angry, frustrated, scared, confused, depressed or anxious, I need to repent. I grew up without feelings. I thought the feelings were bad so I did my best to rid myself of them. The problem was that I could feel nothing: neither anger nor peace, neither sadness nor happiness. I was without feeling, chronically depressed -- just hopeless. Moreover, I could not feel the Spirit to receive revelation from God. What changed was love. I found love when I married the second time and a whole flood of feelings came to me, good and bad. I really enjoyed the "good" feelings of love, but what do I do with my anger and frustration over not getting what I want?
I found that anger comes from unmet expectations, but rather than pray for what I want, I am to accept the will of the Lord and ask Him what He wants. I had to consciously let go of what I wanted. The Lord helped by telling me what was important and what I could let go of. For example, a large family has a certain amount of disorganization. People, especially children, are individuals and are inherently self-centered so bringing them together is difficult. As I cleaned the kitchen after people had left their dirty dishes all over I was getting frustrated. I wanted to yell at everyone to clean up after themselves, but the Lord softened my heart, telling me that I would damage relationships which are more important. I know I was raised with the emphasis on doing everything right and I missed-out on the close relationships so I let go of my need for order, justice, and predictability. I don't believe anyone can repent without the help of the Lord.
Righteousness
After we have repented of all our sins and wickedness we are on "the straight and narrow path." We must be guided by the Holy Ghost in all things because we are no longer seeking what we want; we have to know the will of God in all things. This is the definition of a "righteous man." Living in righteousness is doing all things according to the Spirit of God. We must be able to know the will of God by studying the words of Christ. Nephi tells us that "the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:3)
Our righteous desires are those things God wants us to do. When we have fully repented of all our sins our will matches that of the Lord. He is our guide and stay. He gives us all things, and we simply do His will, no matter what it is. There are many examples in the Scriptures of commandments given that go against other commandments. "Thou shalt not kill" Is one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses, but the Lord makes exceptions. Abraham was commanded to kill his son, Isaac. The Children of Israel were commanded to kill every living thing as they conquered the Land of Canaan. Nephi was commanded to kill Laban with his own sword. The point is, whatever the Lord commands is righteousness, and everything else is wickedness -- even if it is one of the Ten Commandments. Living a righteous life is simply living "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)Happiness
Those who are living in wickedness are selfish and their world is narrowly defined by their needs. People always find that getting what they want in life does not make them happy, in fact, on the contrary, they become bitter and angry. Parents who indulge their children in all their wants create very unhappy children, who often become indulgent and unhappy adults. Happiness is found in getting more than you want. Isaiah explained the connection between righteousness and happiness, "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways." (Isaiah 64:4-5)
Before I can "work righteousness," remembering Him in His ways, or doing the will of the Lord, I must let go of what I want. That is how I love the Lord. The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) This is more easily understood. Those who love God, do His will instead of their own, and are unable to even fathom the rewards. We don't know what we don't know so we can't even ask for it. It's better than anything we can even imagine.
The righteous have no insecurity, anger, malice, or fear to cloud their enjoyment. They can love fully. Their hearts are pure. They can enjoy a connection with others and with God. They have all power because He does, and they are connected to Him by a bond that cannot be broken because they obey Him in all things. They can enjoy the light of day fully and completely. As David said, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23:6) Those who remain in wickedness can never know this degree of happiness.
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