Last spring, I watched three boys fishing on a small lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. As I peered out the window, I noticed one of the youngsters reeling in a nice-sized catch. I found myself smiling as he muscled it into their small fishing vessel.

For a moment, I looked down to take a sip of coffee. When I looked up, I could see the boy pounding the fish he had just caught against the side of the boat. Puzzled, I turned to a man standing next to me and asked if he knew what the boy was doing. He explained that the boy was practicing “fish management.” An undesirable fish species had invaded the lake and was threatening to overtake the fish population. So the locals were practicing their own method of fish management.

While their methods were a bit on the barbaric side, I found myself admiring how seriously they took the threat. It challenged me to consider how seriously I take threats in my life, in particular, the greatest threat of all—Satan. He is an enemy that unleashes devastating “schemes” that are carried out by his “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:11-12). The Bible warns, “Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Jesus called Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44), who will try to invade the waters of our hearts with falsehoods intended to deceive and overtake us. We must act wisely and choose to follow God “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

As you face temptations and difficulties today, stay alert and watch for Satan’s doings. His attacks are a serious matter.