Small pox was a terrible curse. It killed over 200 million people in the 20th century. Up to 40% of infected adults & about 80% of infected children died of the two variola virus strains of the disease. The discovery of the small pox vaccine by Edward Jenner began the journey towards its eradication which was achieved in 1979. 
Vaccination or inoculation is helping a persons immune system to develop protection against a disease by introducing a vaccine. The vaccines job is to stimulate the body’s adaptive immunity in order to help it fend off an infectious disease. 
It’s interesting to know that when a sufficient percentage of a population has received vaccination from a particular disease, it often results in herd immunity. Herd immunity is when a whole community becomes immune from a disease as if they’ve been previously inoculated. At this point, the ability of the disease to attack the community is arrested. 
Ok. Let’s shift a little bit from the science lesson & get into our God story! 
Can a ‘believer’ become a victim of spiritual vaccination? Is it possible to be inoculated spiritually & ‘protected’ from a God encounter – no matter how drastic it’s invasion is? Can a people develop spiritual herd immunity from an ‘pandemic’ truth or move of God? It appears so! 
Let’s go back to how vaccination works. An inactive disease pathogen is introduced into a person. The weakened & inactive germ deceives the body into thinking it has the disease. The body’s immune system then goes to work fighting the disease & ends up building permanent immunity against it! 
Does that happen when we introduce a “weak or inactive” spirituality? 
Take for example, the experience of speaking in tongues. I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. But, it is possible for a person who has acquired tongues to assume spiritual elite status. And even when nothing supernatural is manifesting out of the tongue talking, it’s presence can hinder the person from sensing spiritual emptiness & prevent the pursuit of real God encounters! 
And if this pervades within a group or church, spiritual herd immunity to the supernatural may set in! 
Another example is, when we get inoculated with a ‘simplistic’ doctrine of faith! The ‘be positive & speak positive’ kind of faith teaching. Or the ‘declare it & receive it’ dimension of faith expression! Simple minded believers who get inoculated with that, often wonder why they’ve never had a full blown supernatural encounter! 
They don’t understand ‘the other faith’ that is a personal walk with God! The faith that grows through the knowledge of God, that matures through trials & can trust God both in the ‘day & night seasons’! The faith that takes a brutal & sometimes prolonged fight! The faith that can accept the ‘my grace is sufficient for you’ denial of God, & stay the course until the crown is worn! 
I can go on & on about the challenges of spiritual vaccination!  Another example is the issue of righteousness & holiness? We do not stop at the ‘I have right standing with God’ righteousness inoculation, we must progress to the ‘disease’ called right living! But again, holiness for some people is a ‘women must dress decently’ inoculation! It doesn’t include love, patience, kindness, generosity, forgiveness etc.  
So what’s the word for today? There is more! 
There has to be more progressive journeys into God! 
And only men of deep hunger, encounter the depths of God! 
Remember the Moses prayer; 
“Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.“And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” – Exod 33:13-14;18-19 
I pray for you that in this season, your hunger for God will intensify! I pray that you’ll enter the deeper waters of the Spirit! I pray that your walk with God & your experience of the revelations of his word will become richer! I pray that your life will become a living proof of the grace & power of God in Jesus Christ name! 

Much Love 

George Izunwa 

Lead Pastor