How often have you heard this quoted?  Especially when you are facing a huge challenge or a major struggle.

There is even a song about it.  O, it sounds so wonderful and we sing it so reverently but the lyrics are so scripturally wrong.

Would you be startled to learn that the only place where this is quoted is in the Old Testament?  Would it surprise you to learn that this is nowhere to be found in the New Testament?  Quite the opposite actually.

Here are the OT verses:

2 Chronicles 20:15 – And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:17 – Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17

1 Samuel 17:47 – And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Exodus 14:14 – The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Deuteronomy 20:4  – For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

No doubt that in the OT the battle is the Lord’s.

Now let’s look at the New Testament verses.

The closest you are going to get to the above verse in the NT is this one:

1 Corinthians 15:57 – But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But Paul was not talking here about a battle but about God giving us victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Just read the prior verses

Ephesians 6:10 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Who must be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might?  We must be.

Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Who must put on armor, obviously to fight a battle?  Who must stand against the wiles of the devil?  We must.

Ephesians 6:12 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Who wrestles against all of these?  Not God but we do.  God already won the war defeating the enemy through the death, burial and the resurrection of His Son Jesus.  The war is won but the battles still rage against a defeated enemy who refuses to surrender.

2 Corinthians 10:4 – (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Who’s weapons?  Our weapons.  Who’s warfare?   Our warfare.  Mighty through God yes, but we are the ones expected to pull down strongholds and not God.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (KJV)

Who is to resist the devil?  We are.  Who will the devil flee from?  Us.

Romans 8:37 – Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Who are more than conquerors?  We are through Jesus Christ.

From the above verses should it not be clear that the battle no longer belongs to the Lord but has been delegated to us since the Father through Jesus has:

1. Made us sons of God:
   • John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:,
   • 1 John 3:1 – Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
   • 1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
2. Given us authority and power over all the power of the enemy:
   • Luke 10:19 – Behold, I give unto you power [authority] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
3. Empowered us to do the same works that He did and even greater works:
   • John 14:12 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
4. Given us signs that follow us as believers:
   • Mark 16:17-18 – And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
5. Commanded us to go and:
   • Matthew 10:7-8 – And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
6. Delegated His authority unto us:
   • Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Friends, the battle has been delegated to us and belongs to us now.  We are now the mighty conquerors empowered by God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit to do His works and fight His battles by His authority and power vested in us.

God gave Adam dominion over the earth and everything in it. Adam gave our dominion away by sin.  Jesus as the last Adam, took it back and gave dominion back to us.  We now have dominion over the earth and all that is in it.

The battle no longer belongs solely to the Lord.  It belongs to us, His sons and His warriors in the earth having dominion over the earth.

The difference between the OT and The NT is that the Lord changed the directive from fighting for you to fighting through you and empowered you by the Holy Spirit to fight all battles with the enemy.

 Brothers and sisters, it is high time for us to stand up and fight the battle in His name.

Franciscus M. Dartee

Grow in Faith | Walk in Power

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