Statistics , statistics, statistics. Newscasters rattle them off as they tell us what percent of the population is expected to come down with flu, measles, or something else.

Medical research says that the body has a formidable mechanism for self-defense. Yet, studies of the immune system show that certain diseases or other conditions can weaken its defenses and leave people vulnerable to illness, including some very serious ones. So does that mean illness is inevitable?

Not really. There is another immunity—one that cannot be penetrated by any disease. It is constituted of and regulated by the unvarying laws of God, of Life, Truth, and Love. This immune system is animated by Spirit, not matter, it is 100 percent effective, and it does not break down. It springs from the fact that God includes all good but excludes all evil. God, divine Life, is the source of all being, and excludes from man's being all discord, disease, and dysfunction.

We can have the same protection the Psalmist had when he discerned, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4). Another psalm declares that one need "not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday" if one dwells "in the secret place of the most High" (see Ps. 91). The Almighty's promise to each one of us is that He will "give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Ps. 91:11).

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, states in her Miscellaneous Writings that God "has called His own, armed them, equipped them, and furnished them defenses impregnable" (p. 10). How do we become one of "God's own" and thereby gain an impregnable defense? We belong to God—are His own image, here and now. That is the eternal fact. Humanly, when we adhere to divine Principle—when we understand God aright and follow His constant guidance—when we have no other Mind but divine Mind, we are fully protected because we are God-directed.

Jesus and the prophets—Mary Baker Eddy included—had one great thing in common. They looked to God for guidance in every move they made, and this made them "His own." True, Jesus was not spared the crucifixion, but his total obedience to God's direction gave him complete protection, during and after that awful ordeal. This obedience turned evil's attempt to destroy him into the most magnificent victory the world has ever known—a resurrection and victory that still holds the key to mankind's salvation.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, also by Mary Baker Eddy, emphasizes the importance of being alert and defending oneself against evil and erroneous thought. This includes defense against not only the random risks of predicted disease and disaster but any malicious intent. It points out, "Evil thoughts and aims reach no farther and do no more harm than one's belief permits. Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment, if virtue and truth build a strong defence" (pp. 234–235).

A few years ago, I found myself increasingly bothered with discomfort in the heel of my right foot. In prayer, I acknowledged the perfection of my being as the offspring of Spirit and sought to see the unreality of the discomfiting pain. But the difficulty did not yield; instead it grew steadily worse. Then one day, on returning home from the office, I found a piano tuner in the process of leaving. He was on crutches, and explained that he had a bruised heel. He added that his doctor had told him a bruised heel was one of the most complicated and difficult physical conditions to correct—that great care was needed to protect the heel.

This woke me up with a jolt. That night I turned earnestly to divine Mind for guidance. As I prayed and listened, I recalled that the discomfort in the heel first occurred when I attended an occasion several weeks earlier. I had received considerable commendation at the time, but a group was also present which was very critical of me because of a misunderstanding about something that had taken place in the past. As I continued to pray, an answer came that no mental "serpent" could bite at my heel, because I was immune from false accusation.

When I woke the next morning, the thought came clearly, "Walk to work." I said, "Father, I can't! There is no way I can walk to work; my heel won't let me." The message was clear and distinct, "Walk to work." I have learned to be obedient to directions from God, so I proceeded on foot to the office. With every step I took, I acknowledged with gratitude my immunity from false accusation, misunderstanding, and condemnation. By the time I got to the office I was completely free of pain; I couldn't believe it!

That evening, when I walked back home after work, I was exhilarated with my total freedom from any discomfort in my heel. After dinner, the thought came, "Take your dog for a walk." I have learned that showing off backfires, so I responded, "Are you sure, Father?" The answer was simple and direct, "Take Tally for a walk."

Tally and I then went for a three-mile walk, and again I was thrilled with the joy and freedom of the healing. Because the heel condition had persisted so long and been so painful, I had responded to the healing with the reaction "I can't believe it!" Directing me to take a three-mile walk with Tally was God's way of telling me, "You'd better believe it!" Some time later the misunderstanding was straightened out, and the false accusation disappeared. But my heel did not have to wait for that correction. Acknowledgment of my present spiritual immunity resulted in immediate and complete healing.

Our security lies in our obedience to God. When we have no other but the divine Mind—when we strive to fulfill God's plan and purpose in our lives—we find immunity and protection even in the most threatening circumstances. One of the taunts of the devil is to say that life should be a bed of roses, and if it isn't, God has failed us. This deceptive reasoning would block our progress and rob us of the increased strength, peace, and joy that come when we face and overcome tribulation.

When we take up the cross unselfishly, we find the assurance and peace Jesus felt when he walked on the water with the waves tossing and the wind boisterous (see Matt. 14:22—33). We, too, can go forward in perfect immunity when we discern and consistently apply the wonderful actuality of the divine law stated clearly in Science and Health, "namely, that nothing inharmonious can enter being, for Life is God" (p. 228).