Seven Habits of an Effective Immune System, Part II

What are the seven habits of an effective immune system?

Investigation

When an enemy comes into the body, the immune system identifies and tags it for destruction. An inspection occurs, so the first step of the effective immune system is investigation. As soon as the foreign organism comes into the body, the immune system investigates it to determine whether it is part of the body. If it is not part of the body, it needs to be disfellowshipped out of the body. If the foreign organism does not have a certain protein marking on it, it is an enemy. Most people who get a kidney transplant have to take immune suppressant drugs, because their body recognizes the new kidney as a foreign object. When we sneeze, when we have a histamine flush, there is something that we have inhaled or ingested that is not part of the body. The immune system investigates it, identifies it, and sends for help to get rid of it.

We are living in the time of the Investigative Judgment. We will either receive the seal of the living God or the mark of the beast. God is expecting to put His mark on us, but for that to happen, we should be ready—not getting ready. When we leave home in the morning, what guarantee do we have that we will make it to work? If the people on September 11, 2001, knew that two planes were going to run into the Twin Towers [World Trade Center, New York, NY] do you think they would have gone there? That means that we should be ready, even at this moment.

When an enemy comes into the camp, the body, a white blood cell called a microphage will definitely identify it and send out a chemical solution to destroy it. It recognizes that the intruder does not belong in the house. The Bible says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19. We know that if we do not feed our brains with the truth of God, there is nothing the Holy Spirit has to work with when we are faced with temptation. So what goes into our bodies and into our minds determines how we respond to a situation.

Communication

When the immune system first investigates and discovers there is a problem, it begins to send out communication. It sounds the alarm that there is an enemy in the camp and calls for reinforcement.

We, as a people, are not only under investigation, but heaven is communicating with us. We have angels ascending and descending, carrying our prayers to the throne of God where Christ intercedes. There is constant communication between heaven and earth through God’s grace and Holy Spirit.

So the immune system communicates. The body systems recognize and communicate with one another. Another microphage with little tentacles (pseudo-pods or false feet) recognizes the enemy and sends the pseudo-pods to trap the organisms for destruction. They say, There is an enemy in the camp; prepare for war! They blow the trumpet.

We must have men and women who will give the trumpet a certain sound. We must keep truth ever before us, and as the enemy comes in the gate, we should not be afraid to call error by its right name, to lovingly lift up Calvary. If you are my friend, you are going to pull me aside and tell me when I am wrong. That is true love. Even though the old flesh might rise up, that flesh will be mortified if we allow God to crucify us.

Duplication

God designed the immune system to multiply. When there is infection in the body, the T-cells duplicate themselves to attack enemy cells.

Jesus called twelve men to duplicate His work. There is strength in unity, in duplication. Ministries become strong as they mentor other people in the ministry to duplicate their efforts. One ministry by itself has a difficult time; often it cannot make it. There has to be duplication. If the multiple ministries are on the same wavelength, under the same investigation, communicating the same thing, and duplicating, then there is going to be an impact for good.

Cooperation

Once there is communication and duplication, the systems can work together. How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3.) The Bible says there is one body but many members—the eye cannot say it is not part of the body because it is not the nose. (1 Corin-thians 12:14–26.) Every member is important, so there has to be cooperation. God will have a church that will be united. “That they also may be one in us.” John 17:21. When we draw close to Jesus, we are going to draw close to one another.

The immune system operates on the same principle; the parts of the system cooperate to maintain the health of the body. “For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; [Yet] through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.” Job 14:7–9.

Cancer cells contain tentacles or roots. Through M.E.E.T. Ministry we work with dozens of people who have cancer, especially women. I am not anti-surgery; sometimes it is necessary, but when people have surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy and think that is going to solve their problem, they are wrong. The cancer will return, if that person has not made any lifestyle changes. There have been situations where women have had their cancerous breast removed and then, without being discouraged by their medical practitioner, had their good breast removed. That is ludicrous! They believe that is where the cancer will return, but the only reason it is going to come back is because they are not taking care of the immune system. We are not telling people to change their lifestyle, so we find that, even now, they are trying to deal with cancer by producing a drug that will cut off the blood supply to the cancer. “The life of the flesh [is] in the blood.” Leviticus 17:11. You do not need to cut off the blood supply; you need to make clean, healthy blood. “In order to have good health, we must have good blood; for the blood is the current of life.” The Ministry of Healing, 271. Every cell in the body depends upon the integrity of the blood, so if we have a healthy blood stream, it gives no environment for cancer cells to breed.

Annihilation

“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend . . . .” Matthew 13:41. When the time comes, God will separate everything that offends Him from His true sheep. We are in that sifting and shaking time right now.

After we investigate to identify the enemy, create communication to let the body know there is an enemy in the camp, experience duplication and cooperation, we then must have annihilation, complete destruction. Sin will be destroyed just as the healthy immune system destroys the invading cells. Sin must be removed out of the body; we are not going to take sin to heaven. God is a consuming fire. If anyone tells you that we cannot overcome sin, they are a liar and the truth is not in them. By God’s grace we can overcome sin. Calvary testifies to that. If we do not believe that, we might as well go out into the streets and eat, drink, and be merry. I do not have the same desires that I used to have, and I am still growing in grace. This is the only truth that I know that can take the mind and transform it. Sin will be annihilated.

Transportation

Leviticus 16:21, 22 talks about the scapegoat, how sin was transferred to it, and how it was led out into the wilderness by a fit man. He will be led out—that means sin will be taken out. “And shall send [him] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”

Once the invading organism is destroyed, it must be transported out of the body. It will either go out through the glands, through the ducts, or through the rectum—God will get rid of it. That is how the immune system works.

Cessation

Scripture tells us, “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Revelation 8:5. When Jesus finally casts the censer down and probation closes, His mediatorial work ceases, which leads us to the seventh habit.

This means that whatever is occurring stops! There are diseases known as autoimmune conditions, such as lupus, leukemia, and those types of things. We have what we call suppressor T-cells. When the war is over within the body and the enemy has been destroyed, the suppressor T-cells send out a signal saying, The war is over! Stop the fighting—cessation. But if something goes wrong within the system and there is no connection there, the immune system keeps fighting and turns against the good tissue of the body. We call that “friendly fire.” Have you ever heard of that?

Friendly fire occurred in the Gulf War and in other wars where the United States military has mistaken their friends for the enemy. During the Gulf War some of the navy vessels shot their own airplanes out of the sky! They said, We have to find out what is wrong that we are shooting down our own planes. They discovered it was because of mental fatigue. The guys were tired.

I want to tell you, friends, we have friendly fire among us. We think we are the enemies, and we turn our spiritual weapons on one another. Even though we might not agree on all points, we are not the enemy; you are not my enemy. The Bible says it is the spirit in the man. (See Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:11.) The only way you can deal with a spirit is that you must be in the Spirit. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood; it is not against people; it is against error. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Revelation 10:7.

When the war is over within the body, it is finished. Cancer cannot survive a powerful immune system. There have been people where the war is over, and there is no more cancer, no more AIDS, no more diabetes, and no more arthritis. It is finished! That is because of a powerful immune system. The powerful soldiers of our immune system destroy foreign invaders every day of our lives. They do their work so thoroughly that most of the time we are unaware that there is a war going on within us.

Ellen White says that if we could just pull back the curtains, we would see the forces of good and evil in intense combat. (See Patriarchs and Prophets, 598.) There was war in heaven. Michael and His angels fought, and also the dragon. (See Revelation 12:7–11.) We know of that war. The dragon did not prevail; the devil was cast out of heaven, and it says, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb . . . .” Verses 10, 11. The blood of Jesus does two things for us: it cleanses us, and it nourishes us.

The blood that runs through our veins cleanses and nourishes our bodies—the life of the flesh is in the blood. In order to overcome disease, we must have the blood—not only spiritual but physical. We must have good blood, and the way we can have good blood is to have the strong man. Mark 3:27 says that no man can enter into the strong man’s house (that is the immune system), and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man, and then he can spoil his house. So in order for foreign invaders to thrive in the body, the powerful immune system must be weakened.

Weakened Immune System

There are certain things that weaken the immune system.

Lack of trust causes stress and distress, which weakens the immune system. “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine . . . .” Proverbs 17:22. Proverbs 3:5, 6, 8 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. . . . It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” What takes place in the bone marrow? Blood building—red and white blood cells. So when we have a genuine trust in God, our immune system is strengthened. Isaiah 58, which is the prescription to the church, tells us that when we carry out this instruction it is health to our countenance. When we quit focusing on our own problems, our own selfish ways, and begin to minister to others, it has a biological, chemical effect upon us.

Negativity. “A good report maketh the bones fat.” Proverbs 15:30. What is a good report? That means when you are encouraged. Most people only give roses when someone is in the grave. We should lift people up, encourage them, and thank them for the little things. We men often take our wives for granted—we think the wife is supposed to cook and clean and take care of the children, but they need some encouragement, and vice versa. If a good report makes the bones fat, what does a bad report do? “Pleasant words [are as] an honeycomb” and are even health to the soul. Proverbs 16:24. If you are around someone who is always negative—the weather is too hot; the weather is too cold—rejoice in the Lord. When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade. God turns curses to blessings.

Bad diet. Sugar suppresses the immune system. A phagocytic study was performed. Just one can of soda—Dr. Pepper, Coca-Cola, you name it—equals 12 teaspoons of sugar and decreases your immune system by 20 percent. A slice of chocolate cake, no matter how you slice it, cuts the immune system down 50 percent. I used to be a sugarholic. To show you how bad I was, I ate sugar sandwiches. I used to melt butter, put it on Wonder bread, then spread the sugar on it. That is how much I liked sugar. I used sugar on my rice, on my beans, in my greens. I was hooked on sugar, and it suppressed my immune system, wiped out my B vitamins, zinc, and chromium. Sugar reduces oxygen; it stresses you out.

Lack of exercise; poor lifestyle habits. The lymphatic system is only stimulated through exercise. It is not stimulated through food or watching TV. It is stimulated outdoors in the garden and exercising, because some of the fat that you eat is dumped into the lymph glands, and when you sit all the time, without any activity, you are going to end up with lymphoma.

Lack of rest. Habitually we need to be in bed before 10 p. m. When I am not on the road, I am in bed at 9:30 p.m. If I did not do that, I would be wiped out every day.

Lack of water. If we do not drink enough water, we will pay for it. We have close to 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our body. That is enough to go around the earth at the equator two and one-half times. Our red blood cells travel through 60,000 miles of blood vessels at a speed of about 43 miles an hour. When we do not drink enough water, the first place the body takes water from is the blood; it next takes water from the bones. You have heard of dry bones! The next place it takes the water from is the liver, then the skin (that is why we have premature aging), then from the brain (cerebral dehydration), then from the cells. Cell dehydration is one reason we have pain.

Lack of sunshine. Water, rest, sunlight—are you following where I am going? I am giving the eight doctors important to our immune systems.

Antibiotics. We have “antibio-ticed” ourselves to death. If you do not take antibiotics you may still ingest them from your food, because they are in the cow and in the chicken. Science already calls these antibiotic-resistant organisms smart bugs, because antibiotics do not now have the same impact that they used to have.

These are the things that bind the strong man.

Strengthen the Immune System

How can we strengthen our immune system? Simply! We realize that heredity loads the gun; we cannot change it. I am six feet six inches tall, slender build, thick lips, wide nostrils, tight hair, brown skin, and I cannot do anything about that, so I must be happy with the house in which I live. I do not want to bleach my skin; I do not want to point my nose, and I do not want to blue my eyes. God made some of you with blond hair and blue eyes; praise God! We cannot do anything about heredity. But what we can control is lifestyle. If heredity loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger. That over which you have no control, leave it to God.

When God told Noah to build the ark, did the ark save Noah? No way! But if he had not built it, would he have been saved? No. No man can build anything that can withstand the onslaught of God’s arsenal. Napoleon had that experience. When he battled, God just blew through His nostrils and snow came—it stopped Napoleon. We have all of these weapons, and we think we are going to win a war. God just blinked, and there was a flood. The point is this: Noah obeyed God, and even the ark could not have withstood unless God upheld it. Noah had to cooperate with God. When we use the natural things that God has given us, God does something supernatural. Do not despise the beginning of small things. If God said drink water; if God said get exercise; if God said get rest, trust Him, and watch Him supernaturally interpose in your life.

God’s Plan

It is through God’s plan that the integrity of the immune system is preserved. This has been my experience. “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.” Psalm 107:17. The Bible says a fool is one who says in his heart, “[There is] no God.” Psalm 14:1. But in Proverbs 1:7 we are told that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, but fools despise instruction and wisdom. I used to be like that, you could not tell me anything.

Iniquity and transgression mean the same thing, but there is a slight difference. Iniquity is known sin—one knows better, willful rebellion. Transgression is ignorance. So there are two classes of people, those who are willful and those who are ignorant. The willful need to be influenced to use their knowledge to live a life in harmony with God. Those who are ignorant need to be educated.

“Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.” Psalm 107:18. That means they are on their last legs, giving up hope, not wanting to live. I remember a gentleman, who had cancer, looking up into my face and saying, “I just want to die.” I told him that was not in his power. God holds life and death in His hands. God did not let him die.

“Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, [and] he saveth them out of their distresses.” Psalm 107:19. That is my testimony. For 17 years I suffered with crippling arthritis. I did not know God, but I just cried and said, “Lord, I need help. I need peace.” “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered [them] from their destructions.” Verse 20. There is a difference between faith healing and fake healing. With fake healing, you can blow on somebody, move your hand over them, and they fall down. Faith healing comes by hearing the Word. God heals according to His Word.

“Oh that [men] would praise the Lord [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men!” Verse 21. When you experience the power of God, you will praise Him.

Choice not Chance

Health is a choice—not a chance. Salvation is a choice—not a chance. We choose to be healthy; we choose to be saved. It is a treasure, and all God is asking of us is to make a decided change. Seven habits of the effective immune system—you and I hold the key. We should work with it; we should supply it. May God help us to realize that as it is in the spiritual, so it is in the body.

Thomas Jackson is a health evangelist and director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by e-mail at godsplan@meetministry.org or by telephone at 731-986-3518.