Three Mistakes to Avoid in the Face of Difficulty

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Dream For Your Life

Three Mistakes to Avoid in the Face of Difficulty By Rick Warren — May 6, 2015 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b NIV) Trouble is a part of life. You will have difficulties! Jesus told us so in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (NIV). In Acts 27, Paul set sail for Rome with other prisoners, and they faced great difficulties on their journey because the winds were against them. Paul warned the men on one leg of their voyage that if they set sail, they would be caught in a major storm and the results would be disastrous. They decided to sail anyway, making three common mistakes that are the same mistakes we tend to make that get us into trouble. We listen to bad advice. “[They] followed the advice of the pilot” (Acts 27:11b). God had already said not to do it, and Paul warned them not to do it. But because the “expert” said it was OK, they did it. If God tells you to do one thing and all the experts in the world tell you to do something else, don’t listen to the experts. Listen to what God says. We follow the crowd. “The majority decided that [they] should sail on” (Acts 27:12a). The majority is often wrong! The majority of the Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt, and they were wrong, too. Peer pressure keeps a lot of people from doing what God wants them to do. We rely on circumstances. “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity” (Acts 27:13a). Paul warned the others that they were heading into a storm, but they sailed anyway. You should not go through every open door you see. You should not take advantage of every opportunity given to you. You should not accept every job that is offered to you. You should not date everybody that asks you out. Satan can arrange circumstances, too, so you need to ask God for his direction. Knowing these three mistakes will help you avoid them when you are faced with difficulty on your journey of faith. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick. Talk It Over Why do you think God allows you to experience difficulty on your journey of faith? What is an example of a time you got into trouble because you made one of these mistakes? How did God deliver you in that situation? Our Gift: Everything Is Possible With God Study Kit with Bonus Worship CD: The Sound of Hope Just like exercise builds your physical muscles, God has a workout program for you to strengthen your faith. And in the Everything Is Possible with God Study Kit, Rick Warren shows you God’s divine training routine to help you strengthen your faith and develop your character. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren God's Dream For Your Life teaching series. LEARN MORE <img width="250" height="300" class="img_scale" style="display: block; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" src=" https://s3.amazonaws.com/dailyhope/img/godsdreamforyourlife-500x600.jpg" alt="Complete Series" data-mce-src=" https://s3.amazonaws.com/dailyhope/img/godsdreamforyourlife-500x600.jpg" data-mce-style="display: block;" /> Series Summary Message 1: How God Builds Your Faith Message 2: God's Dream For Your Life Message 3: How To Make Wise Decisions Message 4: Delayed By Design Message 5: How To Deal With Difficulty Message 6: Dead End To Deliverance PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe