There is no such thing as a perfect Christian, and people who follow Christ are bound to commit one mistake after another. However, when difficulties arise, believers tend to commit more mistakes than usual.
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church wrote in his devotional that there are three common mistakes made by Christians whenever they are faced with challenges. The first of these is listening to bad advice. When God tells His children to do something, but world experts tell them to do something else, sometimes they opt to listen to the latter. But Warren said "don't listen to the experts. Listen to what God says."
Next, Warren said believers make the mistake of following the crowd. "The majority is often wrong!" he warned. "Peer pressure keeps a lot of people from doing what God wants them to do."
And lastly, believers like to rely on circumstances. It is tempting to take advantage of opportunity that comes one's way, but this isn't always wise. Warren said that Satan can arrange circumstances that appear to be in favor of a Christian's life, so the best course of action would be to ask God for His guidance.
"Trouble is a part of life. You will have difficulties!" he said. "But knowing how to avoid these three mistakes will help you navigate through the difficulties you faced on your journey of faith."
At the same time, Warren said that Christians should be grateful for their difficulties because "every storm is a school and every trial a teacher." It might be unpleasant to encounter setbacks in life, but God has a purpose for these.
"Even when you do stupid things, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, He can use it. Even when the Devil plans bad things for your life, God can bring good out of it," the pastor assured.
