Day 27. Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I am Patti Brunner. This is day 27 of “Daily Meditations for Lent” on Monday of week 4. We will share personal revelations given during Lent for you to discern and other contemplations to help you grow “in closeness to the Lord through truth, repentance, and the word of God moving into fullness within your heart.”
On Monday of the 4th week of Lent the Lord taught me this: “The tool of the Helmet of Salvation calls attention to the protection of thought process because a helmet protects the brain especially when you are hit over the head with a bombardment by the enemy. The brain stores memories and part of the enemy’s tactics are to ‘hit you over the head’ with memories of every failure and every weakness. If not for the helmet of salvation you would quickly succumb to this tactic. Original sin places in the memory of your life the complete failure of sin. Adam and Eve set this memory in place and every generation recalls it in their body and soul. Only the grace of salvation can free the soul of this ‘memory’ of total failure. Of course it is more than a ‘thought’. This memory is made present in every soul due to the devastation of sin and the rejection of God’s plan by mankind. Jesus, who died and rose, overcame the devastation of sin but the memory remains. Concupiscence is the theological term and it shows up by our constant willingness to sin—even though we hopefully choose not to do so. The helmet of salvation reminds us of the ‘forgetfulness’ of God when it comes to our sinfulness. His promise[i] through the prophets: “to remember our sin no more” is put into effect with Baptism and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
“So, how is this used during a spiritual attack? How does it protect our thoughts and memories?
“Let’s look at the intellect of mankind,” the Lord said. “God gave us the ability to learn. Then He gave us freewill to choose what to learn. Do we choose to learn truth? We have seen by the Belt of Truth that truth sets us free. Do we choose to learn from the Word of God those scriptures that fight our battles as the Sword of Spirit?
“Do we choose to walk with the Gospel in shoes of peace? Faith is a core belief that shields not only our body but also our mind and memories. The shield of faith, as we hunker down, protects us even when the helmet of salvation gets knocked loose because of sin and the breastplate of righteousness is weighed down with our sin.
“The Shield of Faith as we hunker down, allows us to tighten the strap of the Helmet of Salvation until we remember God loves us, until we know that we know that God redeemed us and has forgiven us our trespasses and will continue to do so if we repent.
“The helmet of salvation is a family heirloom passed down through the generations to recall the salvation given by Jesus through the cross, death and resurrection. It is a gift given at Baptism for us to wear for the rest of our lives. It helps us to think more clearly and recognize God.
“The enemy tries to penetrate the helmet not by hitting us over the head but by getting under it with thoughts and memories of failure and temptations. But the strength of the helmet of salvation is that it has been worn by all those who came before you. Each saint, each holy man and woman have their memories to share. The helmet of salvation was worn—indeed it was forged—by Christ himself. He continues to wear it with you and thus your strength comes from this. “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”[ii] 1 John 4:4
‘He who is set free is free indeed’. [iii] The helmet of salvation becomes your birthright as you are born again in Baptism through water and the Spirit. Sin cannot stand against salvation. It can never conquer salvation. Only rejection by our freewill removes it. Take strength in your salvation. As the catechism[iv] says, this act of salvation is greater than the creation of the universe and everything in it.
Each man individually chooses to accept salvation,” the Lord says, “but this helmet covers the multitudes who accept it past, present, and future: The Body of Christ. You can seek their intercession for the battle against the enemy. They have conquered him with the blood of the Lamb[v] and the word of their testimony.” The Lord says, “Prayer that comes from the mind and heart comes forth by the grace given by the helmet of Salvation.”
On another Monday of the 4th week of Lent the Lord gave me this little song for meditation, “My joy is in the God who saves me. My hope is in the Name of the Lord, who was, who is, who evermore shall be.”
One Lent on the Monday of the 4th week, I was house-bound due to an injury caused by falling down some stairs at work. I was praying and I had this conversation with the Lord. He said, “My child, as you listen to my voice what you hear?” I responded, “I hear your love, your guidance, and your wisdom.” The Lord asked, “Yes, what else?” I told Him, “I feel your peace. I hear your plan for me.” The Lord said, “My child, do not be distressed at my instruction for you. Take what I give you and know that it is good.” I said to Him, “Yes Lord. Help me to comprehend and to activate your words in my life.” The Lord then told me, “My child, the “cherry on top”, “the icing on the cake” is knowing a job well done, being in the perfect will of the Father. Yet, the Father loves you, even when you fall, even when you fail.”
This Lent the Lord has more to tell us about perseverance despite difficulties, despite failures. This is Day 27. We invite you to listen each day for words from the Lord and Daily Meditations for Lent. Remember: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” Easter is coming! “Prepare for it, ready your heart.” The transcript of this episode is available at PatriarchMinistries.com/297. Please click like and join us if you haven’t yet by following or subscribing. And then, come back tomorrow for more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more. Amen.
[i] Jeremiah 31: 33-34 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days—oracle of the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the LORD!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the LORD—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.”
Hebrews 8: 10 But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from least to greatest. 12 “For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 10 16 “This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,’” 17 he also says: “Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more.”
[ii] 1 John 4:4 “You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
[iii] John 8: 36 “So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free.”
[iv] Catechism # 1994 “Justification is the most excellent work of God’s love made manifest in Christ Jesus and granted by the Holy Spirit. It is the opinion of St. Augustine that “the justification of the wicked is a greater work than the creation of heaven and earth,” because “heaven and earth will pass away but the salvation and justification of the elect . . . will not pass away.”43 He holds also that the justification of sinners surpasses the creation of the angels in justice, in that it bears witness to a greater mercy.”
[v] Revelation 12:11 “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony”
