{"id":1117,"date":"2017-11-16T07:30:33","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T15:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2017-11-16T07:25:50","modified_gmt":"2017-11-16T15:25:50","slug":"grace-a-god-given-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/16\/grace-a-god-given-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"Grace \u2013 A God-given Virus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s cold and flu season, again! At least that is what the advertisers want me to believe. In my household, with a respirator-dependent child, we tighten our daily regime of preventive maintenance (i.e. vitamin C &amp; D, olive leaf extract, oregano oil, hand sanitizers) to keep any unwanted virus from infecting our lives. We all know that once a virus lands, antibiotics are the only means to rid it from our system, and that is a result we don\u2019t enjoy one bit.<\/p>\n<p>Many don\u2019t know that there is a difference between bacteria and a virus. They both may produce similar results in our bodies but there is a vast and amazing difference between them. Give me a moment to explain as best a layman can and you\u2019ll begin to see how grace fits into this.<\/p>\n<p>Bacteria (the plural of bacterium) live all around us and within us. These are single-cell creatures doing their singular-little part of living-the-life thing. Some of these wee-little ones live inside of us doing the down and dirty job of breaking apart the food which we\u2019ve consumed so that our body can properly use the nutrients from it. There are other bacteria which offer the flavorful aroma to various cheeses, bouquets to sumptuous wines, arresting fragrances to delectable meats, and a whole host of aromatics to our diets and this planet. Our world is a symbiotic relationship we share with bacteria.<\/p>\n<p>A virus is best pictured as a zombie, the living dead. It is microscopic in size too but, and this is a big but, it isn\u2019t alive like a single-cell bacterium. It doesn\u2019t have the ability to live on its own, it requires a host agent to carry it around. Once it finds an agent it will burrow itself into the agent and release its DNA or RNA code into the agent in order to create a susceptible environment for it to grow. The agent may be carrying the virus for a long period of time before it \u201cawaken\u201d and begins the infection transfer. Unlike bacteria which can be killed, a virus can only be treated with antibodies which are designed to control the virus\u2019 activities. Our bodies can often deal with this process but sometimes we need the assistance from an outside source found in certain medications. Some viruses are antibiotic-intolerant which can cause wide-spread epidemics if not contained and treated properly. Oh, yeah, almost all viruses are transmitted in the air. This makes them buggers of a thing to isolate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><em>\u201cAnd Jesus breathed on them and said, \u2018Receive the Holy Ghost.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Grace infected humanity. It lays dormant waiting for the host to activate it so that the spiritual DNA contained within it can be released and transform our body into an environment rich for its growth. Grace is not like yeast which puffs up from its own life\u2019s work but is transforming in its co-mingling and co-dependence. Religions always try to control and kill it. But you can\u2019t kill an eternal pathogen. Its purpose is always to transform; its work is not outward but inward. It does not live alone found in every nook and corner of the my-ways, byways and highways of life. It spreads soul-ly by word of mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Yup, it\u2019s Kingdom virus season out there, all around you. And there is not a thing you can do to stop it. You\u2019re already infested with a death-defying, DNA transforming, eternal pathogen. Time to get some rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s cold and flu season, again! At least that is what the advertisers want me to believe. In my household, with a respirator-dependent child, we tighten our daily regime of preventive maintenance (i.e. vitamin C &amp; D, olive leaf extract, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/16\/grace-a-god-given-virus\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-i1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2307,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/10\/grace-in-a-pandemic\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":0},"title":"Grace in a Pandemic","author":"mike","date":"April 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Let me get real with you. This whole world pandemic deal is a freaking mess. However, you\u2019re in luck. I wrote the book on a freaking mess back in 2012, aptly titled, Your Life is a Freaking Mess. I would like to say that I am prophetic in my ability\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/freakingmess-cover-kin-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2258,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/06\/grace-is-not-mortal\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":1},"title":"Grace is not Mortal","author":"mike","date":"February 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the years where I have been studying and teaching about the subject of grace, I am often confronted by the \u201chuman-ness\u201d of the subject material. Understandably, most people, when they first learn about grace, relate it to themselves and those around them. The notion that God has forgiven them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":116,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/02\/the-equalizer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":2},"title":"The equalizer","author":"mike","date":"July 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"You vs me. Us vs them. Competition is all the rage across the globe. It is fashionable to support your team, your company, your school, your community, your church, your country, your way of dressing and a whole host of other choices that are designed to separate you from someone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2014 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2014 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2657,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/revolution-refines-a-revelation-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":3},"title":"Revolution Refines a Revelation &#8211; Part 3","author":"mike","date":"February 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Can world events change a revelation about God\u2019s character? In this series of articles I'm briefly examining history and how the American Revolution restored the gospel of grace to the world. The Kingdom Message of The Church I need you to recognize how at this moment, as you read this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3165,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/15\/sons-of-god-jesus-and-i-in-shared-divinity\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":4},"title":"Sons of God: Jesus and I in Shared Divinity","author":"mike","date":"November 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A pivotal belief that has evolved in my spiritual path is that Jesus is the Son of God, just as I am. This equalizes the divine inheritance, challenging exclusive claims and inviting all into a shared sonship. Grace, in this context, serves as the great equalizer, awakening us to our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1976,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/05\/dating-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":1117,"position":5},"title":"Dating Grace","author":"mike","date":"May 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"No, this is not about the adventures of my cousin prior to marrying his wife. As grand as that narrative might be, this is in keeping with my ventures of looking into the realm of a kingdom eternal. Allow me to ask you a very fundamental question: When do you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2018 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2018 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2018-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1119,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions\/1119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}