Joel Osteen - Invisible Enemies
- Watch
- Audio
- Donate
- Contact Us
I want to talk to you today about invisible enemies. We all have things coming against us: people not treating us right, dealing with an illness, or a child causing heartache. We look in the world and see wrongs, injustice, and evil. It’s easy to live frustrated and think, «This person is the problem, I’ve got to straighten them out. This group is the enemy; they don’t believe like me.» We end up fighting with people, thinking they’re the problem. But the fact is, the real enemy is invisible.
Paul said in Ephesians, «Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spirits without bodies, against the unseen rulers of darkness.» Behind the trouble and turmoil are forces of darkness influencing the person, causing them to do wrong. If you just attack the person—the neighbor, the government, the group—you’re going to be frustrated. You’re dealing with symptoms, but the source is where the issue lies. You can’t fight a spiritual battle with physical weapons. Muscles don’t matter to an invisible enemy. Getting angry and seeking revenge, trying to make them do right, that’s just going to frustrate you. You have to fight this battle in the unseen realm.
The scripture says, «The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God.» Carnal means physical or natural. Those weapons don’t affect the unseen. You have to use spiritual weapons. You have the power of prayer. You have the name of Jesus. You have the word of God. You can speak His promises over your situation. You have the authority to resist the enemy—not fight him. He’s already defeated, but you have to remind him of his defeat. Instead of constantly arguing with your child and trying to make him do right, you may have to do some of that. I’m not saying don’t handle the natural, but that alone is not enough. Instead of attacking your child, why don’t you attack the source, the forces of darkness? You will not have my child; in the name of Jesus, I command you to take your hands off of him. That’s doing battle where it matters. That’s attacking the invisible enemy.
You have power over all the powers of darkness, but you have to use the right weapons. Sometimes we’re attacking the wrong things—attacking people, the boss, my neighbor, these troublemakers. Their behavior is the symptom. There’s something behind the scenes influencing them, causing them to act out. As long as you’re dealing with it only in the natural, you’re going to be frustrated. It’s a spiritual battle. Paul said in Ephesians, «Put on the armor of God so that in the evil day you will be able to withstand the attacks of the enemy.» We’re living in an evil day. There are forces trying to take your peace, keep you from your dreams, confuse your children. It’s never been a time where there’s so much divisiveness and contention, and people pushing agendas against the things of God.
The trap of the enemy is to get us all fighting each other: parents fighting children, this group fighting that group, fighting the coworker, fighting the authorities. Don’t be fooled by the invisible enemy. What you see is simply the fruit of who’s working behind the scenes. You can deal with the fruit all day long, but as long as the root is in place, nothing’s going to change. Too often we’re trying to fix the person, straighten them out, defeat their agenda. That’s a temporary fix. You have to get to the source. The scripture says your spiritual weapons are mighty through God. Something powerful happens when you pray. When you call out to God in the unseen world, angels go to work. When you declare His promises, forces of darkness are pushed back. When you speak in the name of Jesus, demons tremble, chains are broken, miracles are set into motion. That’s fighting where it matters.
And I know we need to do things in the natural. Of course, use common sense, but the natural is not enough. That’s not where the real battle is. The scripture talks about how before you were born, God knew you and planned out your days. He’s given you a purpose to fulfill, an assignment to accomplish. But the moment you were born, the enemy targeted you. He assigned forces to try to stop your destiny, keep you from stepping into your greatness. And I don’t say that to make you afraid, but to make you aware. Because sometimes we wonder why these things come against us: why you feel that nagging discouragement, why people do you wrong, why you can’t get a good break. That’s the invisible enemy trying to limit your life.
The good news is he wouldn’t be targeting you if he didn’t know you were a threat. He would leave you alone if you weren’t destined to leave your mark. The reason you have opposition and feel that pressure is that you’re carrying something valuable. You have such great potential. He knows you will do damage to his kingdom, so he’ll work overtime trying to hinder you, use people to get you discouraged, circumstances that aren’t fair. Recognize what’s happening. Those aren’t battles you can fight with natural weapons; that’s the unseen enemy. Instead of trying to fix it all by ordinary means, how about declaring God’s favor over your life? How about speaking victory over your health, over your family, over your future? How about thanking God that He’s opening the right doors, that He’s bringing the right people? How about resisting the enemy in the name of Jesus, saying, «You have no part in my life; I am God’s property»? Those are the weapons that make a real difference. That’s how to deal with the root cause.
When I was 14 years old, I broke my kneecap running track. I fell and hit a metal drain cover and had to have surgery. My parents were out of the country at the time. When they returned, my father came in and said, «Joel, mother and I have been praying for you since the time you were conceived. We’ve always spoken God’s promises that you’ll do great things. God will give you wisdom and protect you. But he said, Joel, now you’re old enough to do it on your own. Our prayers won’t be enough. You have to stand against the darkness. You have to declare God’s promises. You have to use the name of Jesus to resist the enemy.» From that day, I started doing it. I say every morning, «Father, thank you that no weapon formed against me or my family will ever prosper. Devil and demon forces, I command you to get out of my path. I cancel every assignment of the enemy in the name of Jesus.»
The authority in the unseen realm doesn’t come from how good of a person you are, what family you come from, how much education you have, or how popular you are. The authority comes from the name of Jesus. That’s the name that causes demons to tremble. That’s the name the forces of darkness have to obey. That’s the name that took the keys of death and hell. And Jesus said, «I give you all power over all the power of the enemy.» That’s how you deal with his schemes and strategies. It’s not necessarily fighting people, circumstances, or fighting physical things. It’s standing against these unseen forces.
And yes, it’s good to have people pray for you, family members that stand in faith, parents that declare God’s blessing, but nothing is more powerful than for you to resist the enemy, for you to declare the promises over your life. For you to say every morning, «I cancel every assignment of the enemy today. I serve you notice; I am God’s property.» You have authority as a believer, but it doesn’t do you any good if you’re not using it. Sometimes we’re using our strength and energy to fight people. «Man, they’re doing me wrong. They’re going against what I believe. They’re dishonest.» The truth is, they’re being influenced by forces of darkness. The real problem is the invisible enemy, the source that’s causing them to be that way. If you just fight with people, you’re going to be frustrated.
There was a bullfighter in the ring with this huge bull and thousands of people in the stands. Every time that bull would charge, he would put out his red cape to distract him. The bull would duck his head and attack the cape, hitting it with so much force and throwing his horns into it. While he was focused on the red cape, the bullfighter would stick a sword into him. This happened time and time again. The bull got angrier and angrier. He was fighting with all of his might. The problem was that he was attacking the wrong source. He thought the cape was the enemy. He didn’t realize the man behind that cape was the real enemy. Here this bull weighed thousands of pounds, had all this incredible power and force, while the man weighed less than 200 lbs. It was no match. There was a man in the stands watching the bullfight for the first time. He said to his friend, «If that bull ever finds out who’s really sticking him, that man is going to be in a whole lot of trouble.»
Sometimes, like the bull, we’re getting stuck, aggravated, annoyed. We think it’s the cape, the person, the boss, this sickness I’m dealing with, this group that’s so evil. We don’t realize they’re not the source. There’s an invisible enemy controlling the cape, causing the conflict, division, stirring up prejudice, jealousy, confusion. Don’t be deceived by the cape. We have to get to the source. The enemy is the root cause. He’s the one pulling the cape. Instead of going after people, you need to go after him. You can’t defeat him with carnal weapons, getting angry, offended, trying to pay people back. The weapons of our warfare are not physical but are mighty through God.
When you pray in the name of Jesus, things in the unseen realm shift. You don’t have to ask the enemy to leave. You don’t say, «Please go.» No, you command him to leave. Jesus said, «Get behind me, Satan.» You have authority over all those forces that are trying to hinder your life. You need to tell them on a regular basis to get behind you. You have no right in my life. Take your hands off my children. Take your hands off my finances. Take your hands off my future. I belong to the Most High. The scripture says when you resist him, he will flee. He doesn’t have a choice. He can’t stay when you use your God-given authority.
In Luke chapter 13, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, and he noticed a lady who was all bent over and unable to stand. She’d been this way for 18 years. The scripture says she had a spirit of infirmity; it was a physical ailment caused by a spiritual issue. Jesus didn’t pray for her. He didn’t anoint her with oil. He simply spoke to the spirit. He said, «Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.» Immediately, she could stand up, perfectly normal. But I wonder today if some of the illnesses we deal with are not a spirit of infirmity. True, we know all sickness is from the enemy. Some are natural, but others, like this woman, are a spirit of infirmity. You have to be loosed from that spirit. You need to tell the enemy, «Take your hands off of my health. You cannot keep me bound. My body is a temple of Almighty God. Break that spirit of diabetes, spirit of heart trouble, spirit of depression.»
You can treat the physical—and, of course, that’s good—but if you’ll get to the root cause, that invisible enemy, that spirit of infirmity, then you can be really free. We can see how these spirits of infirmity get passed from generation to generation. And I know it can be genetics and DNA, but I’ve read studies where attitudes can be passed down, thinking patterns—not just physical but emotional and behavioral. That’s a spirit. You need to take authority over every negative spirit in your family line: over every spirit of infirmity, spirit of poverty, spirit of divorce, spirit of jealousy, anger, addiction. Don’t go through life just treating the symptom, learning to live with it. Get to the root. Deal with the invisible enemy. Those are forces trying to stop your assignment. Nothing will change until someone rises up and says, «In the name of Jesus, we are loosed from this infirmity. I take authority over these forces of darkness. I command you to go.»
The power comes from the name of Jesus. They’re not afraid of my name, they’re not afraid of Pastor Pope, doctor, influencer—that’s all good. But the name that gets their attention is Jesus. That’s the name that causes chains to break, depression to leave, and brings healing and wholeness. You may have struggled for a long time in an area—like this woman with depression, sickness, addiction, or maybe not being able to get ahead. You take one step forward and two steps backwards. That’s not just bad luck; that’s a spirit of lack, a spirit of mediocrity.
How about always fighting in your family? Can’t get along, strife, division—that’s a spirit of turmoil, a spirit of division. I believe today is your breakthrough day. Like Jesus said to this woman, I declare you are loosed in the name of Jesus. This is a day of freedom in the unseen realm. Right now, chains are breaking, forces of darkness are leaving, and the enemy is retreating. When we resist, he doesn’t have any options; he has to flee. Now have a new mindset—not «I’m going to be free, ” but „I am free.“ Not „I hope to get well, Joel.“ No, „I am well.“
„Well, I wish my family could get along.“ No, we walk in peace and unity. There is joy and laughter in my house, the house of the righteous. In Second Kings chapter 6, the king of Aram was at war with Israel. Every time he came up with a new battle plan, God would tell the prophet Elisha, and he would tell the Israeli commanders. They always stayed one step ahead of the enemy. When the king found out, he was furious. He sent a whole army to capture Elisha—thousands of soldiers. They snuck up at night and surrounded Elisha’s house. The next morning, when his assistant went out and saw the soldiers ready to attack, he was terrified. He ran back in and said, „Elisha, wake up! We’re doomed! We don’t have a chance! We’re surrounded by the enemy!“
But Elisha understood this principle: that the real battle is taking place in the unseen realm, what we can’t see. He told his assistant, „Don’t worry. There are more for us than there are against us.“ He was confused. „Elisha, what do you mean? It’s just me and you! Two of us! I saw thousands of them!“ Elisha simply prayed, „Lord, open his eyes and let him see.“ He could see fine with his physical eyes; Elisha was talking about the unseen realm. He went back out to look again. This time he saw hundreds of thousands of the heavenly armies, chariots of fire and warring angels all across the mountainside.
And yes, we have invisible enemies, but we also have an invisible army of powerful warriors waiting to be dispatched. When you call on the name of our God, and when you pray in faith and declare His promises, those are the weapons that will defeat any force trying to stop you. If Elijah had just relied on the natural, saying, „Come on, we’re going to go out there and somehow try to defeat them, push them back, outmaneuver, overcome, ” we wouldn’t be talking about it. You can’t fight spiritual battles with physical weapons. What you’re up against may seem bigger, stronger. It feels like you’re surrounded? No! God has you in the palm of His hand. He wouldn’t have let you get in that difficulty if He couldn’t bring you out.
Now don’t use carnal weapons. Don’t just fight in your own power. Use the weapons that are mighty through God. „Father, I thank You that every force trying to stop me is broken in the name of Jesus. Lord, I thank You that Your angels are fighting my battles, making ways where I don’t see a way.“ That’s how you fight in the invisible—not with worry, anger, or paying them back. That’s going to frustrate you. The real problem is not the person, the illness, the government, the troublemaker. It’s the unseen enemy. It’s that spirit of infirmity. It’s the forces assigned to hinder you, limit your destiny, bring confusion. You need to tell the enemy every day, „Get out of my path. Get out of my mind. Get out of my children. Get off of my business. I am God’s property.“ He’s already defeated. He’s already under your feet. But you have to remind him of his defeat. You have to exercise your authority over him.
You can’t be passive and just accept whatever comes your way. „Joel, I’ve got this problem with my child, and my boss is so unfair, and I’m dealing with this anxiety.“ Satan is a bully. Bullies only respond to force. That’s why Jesus said, „Get behind me, Satan.“ He didn’t ask him; he didn’t try to convince him. He commanded him. My father told about this bully that was in his school. They were in fourth grade, and he lived way out in the country. There was this really big student, strong and heavyset, who looked like a giant compared to all of them. He was always picking on people, throwing his weight around, acting so tough. They were all afraid of him and knew not to mess with him.
Well, a new student moved into class. He was a little bitty guy, small, wiry, hardly anything to him, but he would fight a tiger. He wasn’t afraid of anything. One day on the playground, he saw the bully with a pen and a piece of paper writing down names. Intrigued, he asked him what he was doing. The bully said, „I’m making a list of everyone in this class that I can whoop.“ The little boy started thinking about it, and the more he thought, the more upset he became. He went back over to the bully and said, „Let me see that list.“ The bully was kind of taken aback and handed it to him. He went down name by name and came across his name. He was so fired up. He got right in the bully’s face and said, „You have my name on here! You know you can’t whoop me! Why did you put me down?“ The bully said, „Oh, I’ll take your name off.“
You have to stand up to a bully. Satan goes about as a roaring lion, loud in your thoughts, loud through other people, opposition, and turmoil trying to get you intimidated, angry. Can I tell you he’s all bark and no bite? He has a loud roar but no teeth. Like that little boy, you’ve got to rise up and say, „Take me off your list! You have the wrong person! I am a child of the Most High! You can’t defeat me, and you’re not going to deceive me. I know you’re the source, and I command you to go.“ Recognize his schemes and strategies. Don’t let a bully that has no power over you cause you to live intimidated and afraid.
He may have forces trying to stop you, but greater is He that’s in you than what’s come against you. Paul told us to put on the armor of God so we can withstand the attacks in the evil day. He talks about the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of peace, and the sword of the Spirit. Then he said, „Above all, take the shield of faith so you can quench the fiery darts of the enemy.“ All the armor is incredibly important, but he said to make sure you have the shield of faith because you’re going to have some fiery darts coming at you.
Yes, back in those days, they would take arrows, and they called them darts, and they would put kerosene on the tips and light them. When they shot the arrow, not only would it harm the person or the property, but it would start a fire, causing a lot more damage than normal. The enemy uses the same strategies today. We all have fiery darts being shot at us.
When you’re making a difference and honoring God with your life, people will start talking and stirring up trouble. Your child’s not treated right at school, you come down with an illness, you lose a contract. Because we see only in the physical, we’re not always aware someone is shooting fiery darts at us. There’s a source to this trouble that’s not visible. It’s an unseen enemy trying to light fires, get us upset, and fighting: this coworker attacking this group, living with a spirit of infirmity.
We can’t stop the fiery darts from coming, but we do have a solution: the shield of faith. „Father, thank you that by Your stripes, I am healed, that this sickness cannot stay in our family, for we are loosed from this infirmity. Lord, thank you that what’s meant for harm, You’re turning to my advantage. I’m going to stay in peace. I’m going to be still and know that you are God.“
Faith is a shield. Trusting that God is in control, declaring His promises, that’s going to block the fiery darts, thwart the plans of the enemy that should upset you, pull your family apart, and get you frustrated. But you know the enemy’s schemes. You’ve got your shield up. You’re not fighting with people; you’re dealing with the source of the problem. That’s how you stand strong in the evil day. That’s how you’re not moved by trouble. You’re using your spiritual weapons that are mighty through God.
This is so important because we’re in a time where it’s easy to start attacking people. The enemy is doing everything to bring divisiveness. He knows when there’s unity, there’s a blessing. But people are not the real problem. It’s the invisible enemy that’s influencing them. Think about Judas. He was one of the disciples Jesus chose; he was among the twelve. He had good qualities-he was strong, smart, a leader. How could he betray Jesus? How could he get so off course and do something so wrong? Luke 22 says Satan entered into Judas.
It wasn’t that Judas was this evil, terrible person; the enemy came and deceived him. There are people in all our lives that have opened the door to the enemy. They’ve believed his lies and given him access, and we see them as off, evil, and messed up. „How can they believe that?“ Yes, we need to stand for truth, stand for righteousness, but we also need to stand against forces of darkness that have blinded their minds. It’s the enemy controlling, manipulating, deceiving. But you and I, as believers, have authority in the name of Jesus. Let’s not fight battles attacking people; let’s attack the enemy. Let’s command forces of darkness to go. Let’s use that shield of faith to stop the fiery darts.
Remember, the reason you’re being attacked is that you carry the purpose of God. You have His hand of favor and blessing on your life. The enemy doesn’t like us hearing this. He’d love for us to waste time fighting one another, living angry. But we’re aware of his schemes. We know what our weapons are: the power of prayer, the word of God, the name of Jesus. Now rise up and take your authority as a believer! If you’ll do this, I believe, declare: every force trying to stop you is being broken right now in the name of Jesus. Breakthroughs are coming! Freedom is coming! Healing and the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name! And if you receive it, can you say, „Amen“?