Latest Devotion
Don’t Let Satan Set You Up!
By: Keefe Wilson
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
One Sunday morning on Okinawa, I stood before the congregation and preached a message titled “Don't Let the Devil Steal Your Joy!” My message encouraged everyone to not let circumstances, disappointments, or people rob them of their God-given joy. I was enthusiastic and fired up as I delivered that message, but before the day was over, my own message would be put to the test!
After church, my family and I stopped at one of my favorite places to eat, Popeyes Fried Chicken. I ordered us a family pack that was filled with Popeyes famous biscuits! Now, I must confess, I really love Popeyes' biscuits! I was hungry, I was happy, and I was already thinking about how good those biscuits would taste. As soon as we got home, I opened the bag and started pulling everything out. Guess what? NO BISCUITS! Just like that, all my joy disappeared...
I grabbed the phone in anger and was ready to give those workers a piece of my mind. But before I could make the call, my wife reminded me, “Didn't you just preach a sermon about not letting the devil steal your joy?” Ouch! The preacher wasn't following his own advice!
As Christians, we must be aware of Satan's schemes and recognize his attempts to set us up. We leave church encouraged, strengthened, and on fire for Jesus, and before we get home, something tests our faith. We pray for patience, then someone pushes our buttons. We ask God for peace, then everything seems to go wrong. The devil doesn't even need a major crisis to test us; it might only take some missing biscuits!
God's Word says the devil prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. But some of our greatest spiritual battles occur as we decide how we'll respond to adversity. The enemy tells us to respond in anger and lose our temper, but he's actually trying to get us to lose our testimony! Satan wants us to forget everything God has taught us. How do we defeat him? By letting the Holy Spirit control our response.
So, what is your "missing biscuit?" Has someone offended you? Is your spouse frustrating you? Did something not go your way? When those things happen, don't let your frustration become a spiritual stumbling block. Instead, we must recognize it's one of Satan's setups, resist the temptation, and remember our Savior!
Our faith test isn't what we say at church on Sunday, it's how we respond to what happens on Monday!