Delores Liesner
Activating Faith in everyday life
There’s a Hole in My Armor!
“That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies…” Joshua 7:12
Luke 11:21-23 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed;
but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder. “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not 
gather with Me, scatters.”
It matters not how strong you are. It matters not whether you have the greatest resources and talent. It matters not if you have the best plans and procedures. It will all fail if you have a break in your armor.
This is the message God told Joshua when he attempted to go against a small army at Ai, which was the Israelites’ second battle in the Promised Land. Sometimes we try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor. We look at all aspects of our performance to see what went wrong. For the people of Israel, it was not easily seen on the surface. Everything seemed just as it should be from Joshua’s vantage point, so when his army was soundly defeated, he cried out to God, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?” (Josh. 7:7a)
The people had been defeated because God could not bless them. One person had violated the covenant with God. They were not to take any possessions from the first battle, but one person failed to live up to this, and the whole army suffered.
Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from Satan, who then gains permission from God to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness. If we break down in moral purity, we allow the enemy to come in and establish a stronghold. I think it is important to note that it was not the person praying (Joshua) who violated God’s direction, but one of Joshua’s camp. We know if we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others. We know if we become money-focused, we will fall into greed and 
deception. It is a vicious cycle. We usually recognize that.
But sometimes we fail to ‘know’ (to realize or admit) that our associations, business partners, and friends, can bring us down with them. It only takes one chink in the armor to bring the soldier down.
Examine your armor today. Make sure you are not susceptible to attack. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation, and be sure your associations align with that foundation. Don’t make a deal for finances alone, and make yourself vulnerable.
Do whatever you need to do to keep your armor intact, (maintain your armor and when you put it on, put on your FULL ARMOR) and your chances of success will be great.
Eph. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Check your armor today. Is anything missing – are you wearing the FULL ARMOR of God?
- TRUTH
- RIGHTEOUSNESS
- PEACE
- FAITH
- SALVATION
- THE WORD OF GOD
Be the Miracle! – with journaling pages
Delores Liesner: Author
American Christian Fiction Writers Association
Delores Liesner 