We Have Sinned Times Without Number...But God Is Merciful

     We have sinned times without number and we are guilty of pride and unbelief.  We have failed to find His mind in His Word.  We have neglected to see Him in our daily life.  The list of accusations and shortcomings are endless.  But God has not stood against us, for we bless His name.  We ought to pray that God is able to subdue our corruptions and we ask Him to live above them.  We ought to pray that He would not let our flesh and lustings in subjection but to rise above them.  God needs to rule over us in liberty and power.
     We ought to thank God that many of our prayers have been refused.  We often ask amiss and not according to His will.  We have asked amiss and do not have.  We have prayed from lusts and been rejected.  We have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness.  We ought to be thankful Him to answer 'no' to our wrongful prayers and embracing His will to live for Jesus.  To be a Christian means to be a little Jesus.  That simply means we are to live for Him as He lived for us.  Lord, purge us from every false desire, every bad thing, and everything contrary to Thy law.  We would do well to thank Him for His will of wisdom and love.  He disciplines us and puts us into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross. 
     No trail is so hard as to bear the sense of sin.  We ought to remember forgiveness of sin and repentance according to His good purpose.  We ought not to live in pleasure of sin, but pray for trail to shape us into His image.  We ought to pray for sanctified affliction but not invite Satan to us.  It is good if we pray that God delivers us from every evil habit and all former sins.  It is sin when the brightness of Christ is dimmed.  We ought to be a bright light in a dark world.  It is good when we take delight in the Lord, but sin prevents that and causes displeasure with God.  We ought to praise God for taking delight in Him because we want to bless the Lord.  (Confession and Petition, The Valley of Vision).