Jeremiah 10 - 17

The Lord told Samuel -

"...the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart..." (Old Testament 1 Samuel 16:7)

I believe that is how we will be judged. The Savior said -

"For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Book of Mormon Mosiah 5:13)

This is the condition of the people in Jeremiah's day. The Lord described them as -

"...they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart..." (Old Testament Jeremiah 11:8)

How many people of today do the same, that not only refuse to keep the commandments, but even use their imagination in doing evil. When the heart is so set on imagining evil, repentance because more and more difficult. Of such, the Lord asked -

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Old Testament Jeremiah 13:23)

Amulek taught much of the same -

"...this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Book of Mormon Alma 34:32 - 34)

Amulek could have easily substituted "heart" for "spirit" in verse 34. Now is the time to repent and experience a change of heart. Alma asked the people of Zarahemla -

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Book of Mormon Alma 5:26)

Some of Nephi's closing words was in regards to the heart -

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 31:13)