“I felt so - I don’t know if convicted is the right word - but just like, ‘Lord, I'm so sorry that I've missed out on the joy and in the beauty of it’ just because I haven't been cultivating in my heart this excitement to be in His presence, this real faith that He is listening and wants to do things. I want to sing ‘Battle Belongs’ with so much conviction and confidence that this is true for my life,” he said.ĭuring that process, Wickham was surprised to discover he’d accidentally settled into what he described as “lifestyle Christianity,” missing out on the joy and excitement of being in God’s presence in the process. “I just started going to the Scriptures and said, ‘I need more of this in my life. So, he began combing through the Scriptures, writing down stories and praying the lessons over his life, from Moses’ courage in crossing the Red Sea to Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho against all odds. “As I was hearing people say, like, ‘I was going through this, but I just kept crying out to the Lord and it was great,’ I was just thinking, ‘Man, I'm the one singing the song … but is it really true for my life? Is this my go-to playbook when I hit a wall or face a metaphorical mountain?’” I didn't know what to pray when I was in the hospital bed, by the graveside, or when we lost our job, and we just prayed this song.’ And it was just moving.”īut as he witnessed the way God was using “Battle Belongs” to uplift those struggling, Wickham, who attends Light Church in Encinitas, California, began to feel the Holy Spirit challenging him to examine his own beliefs and take a closer look at his walk with God. “Almost immediately, I started … getting all these DMs and messages and emails from people saying, ‘This has given me words to my prayers. “It became such a fight song and a faith-building song for me,” the 38-year-old worship leader told The Christian Post. The tune, released in the fall of 2020, reminds believers that “nothing can stand against the power of God,” with lyrics including the lines, “So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees/ With my hands lifted high/ Oh God, the battle belongs to You.” At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, Phil Wickham’s song “Battle Belongs” became an anthem for Christians worldwide.

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