Introduction: Healing Requires Knowing What You’re Healing

Every physical problem has a story behind it. Every spiritual struggle has a cause. Every emotional wound has a root.

Once we finish Stage One: The Interview, we step into one of the most spiritually important — and most often misunderstood — parts of healing ministry:

Stage Two: The Diagnostic Decision

Why does this person have this condition? What is the real root?

This stage is not about guessing. It is not about suspicion. It is not about assuming.
It is about discerning — with the natural mind and with the Holy Spirit.

Most people want to go straight to prayer. But Jesus never ministered blindly. He always addressed the cause, not just the symptom.

• He forgave sins before healing paralysis (Mark 2).

• He cast out demons when the root was spiritual (Mark 1).

• He addressed fear, unbelief, and trauma before performing miracles.

Pull Quote

“If you only treat the symptom, the person may feel better for the moment — but if you treat the root, the person is transformed.”

This stage allows us to identify not only what to pray for, but how to pray, and why the healing may have been blocked in the first place.

1. Why Diagnostic Decision Is Necessary

We do not diagnose to judge.
We diagnose so we can partner with the Holy Spirit for effective ministry.

Jesus diagnosed constantly:

• “This kind comes out only by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29)

• “Your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

• “Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years.” (Luke 13:11–16)

• “Your faith has healed you.” (Mark 10:52)

• “Stop sinning or something worse may happen.” (John 5:14)

Jesus understood:

• The natural

• The spiritual

• The emotional

• The relational

• The hidden

He knew what He was dealing with — so He ministered with authority.

Diagnostic decision is simply learning to see as Jesus saw.

2. Two Realms of Diagnosis: Natural and Supernatural

Just as in the Interview, diagnosis happens on two planes:

A. The Natural Realm

Many conditions have natural causes:

1. Physical injury

• accidents

• falls

• repetitive strain

• age-related wear

2. Disease or infection

• diagnosed by doctors

• chronic illness

3. Emotional stress

• anxiety

• burnout

• grief

• ongoing pressure

4. Sin-related consequences

Not all sickness is caused by sin, but sin can open doors to:

• depression

• guilt

• psychosomatic pain

• fear-driven disorders

5. Relational or environmental factors

• broken relationships

• ongoing conflict

• financial stress

• trauma

6. Psychosomatic conditions

The Bible acknowledges these:

“A crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
— Proverbs 17:22

A broken spirit can manifest in real physical pain.

Pull Quote

“Natural causes don’t make the situation less spiritual — they simply show where God wants to bring truth, healing, and restoration.”

B. The Supernatural Realm

Some conditions have spiritual roots:

1. Demonic oppression

• torment

• recurring nightmares

• heaviness

• overwhelming fear

• sudden irrational pain

2. Demonic affliction

Physical symptoms caused by demonic presence (Luke 13:10–17).

3. Word curses

• “You’ll always be sick.”

• “You’ll never be free.”

• “You’re just like your father.”

4. Occult involvement

• witchcraft

• tarot

• energy healing

• ancestral practices

5. Trauma that opened a door

Severe abuse, terror, or crisis can open the soul to spiritual attack.

6. Generational patterns

Not “generational curses” as formulas, but biblical patterns:

• alcoholism

• violence

• abandonment

• addiction

• sickness

• occult involvement

(Exodus 20:5 speaks of patterns of sin affecting generations.)

7. Inner lies and agreements

Satan’s power often comes through lies we believe:

• “I’m worthless.”

• “God doesn’t love me.”

• “I deserve pain.”

• “Nothing will ever change for me.”

Pull Quote

“The enemy gains influence where we have wounds, lies, and open doors — but Jesus brings truth, freedom, and restoration.”

3. Diagnosing Like Jesus: Biblical Examples

Let’s walk through several healing encounters and see how Jesus diagnosed.

Example 1 — Paralytic: The Root Was Sin (Mark 2:1–12)

Crippled man lowered through the roof.

Everyone expected Jesus to say: “Be healed.”

Instead:

“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus diagnosed a root issue: shame, sin, and guilt.
Healing the soul unlocked healing for the body.

Example 2 — Crippled Woman: The Root Was a Spirit (Luke 13:10–17)

18 years bent over.

No doctor could explain it.
Not trauma, not injury, not age.

Jesus diagnosed:

“This woman, whom Satan has bound…”

The cause was spiritual. Only deliverance could heal her.

Example 3 — Boy With Seizures: The Root Was Demonic (Mark 9)

To the natural eye, it looked like epilepsy.

But Jesus identified a demonic spirit causing physical symptoms.

He treated the root — and the symptoms vanished.

Example 4 — Blind Man: No One to Blame (John 9)

The disciples misdiagnosed:

“Who sinned, this man or his parents?”

Jesus corrected them:

“Neither. This is for the glory of God.”

Not every sickness is:

• sin

• demonic

• emotional

Sometimes the purpose is simply divine — displaying God’s glory.

Example 5 — Naaman’s Sickness and Pride (2 Kings 5)

Naaman did not just have leprosy —
he had pride, offense, and false expectations.

The healing required addressing:

• his pride

• his resistance

• his obedience

The root was relational and spiritual — not merely physical.

4. The Two Questions Every Minister Must Ask

1. What is the natural cause?

This keeps us grounded.
We don’t over-spiritualize everything.

2. What is the Holy Spirit saying?

This keeps us supernatural.
We don’t ignore spiritual reality.

Together, these questions help us see the whole person.

5. Tools the Holy Spirit Gives for Accurate Diagnosis

During diagnosis, the Spirit may give:

1. Words of Knowledge

Pain in a certain part of the body
A memory
A situation
A location
An emotion

2. Words of Wisdom

How to pray
Which direction to go
The timing of ministry

3. Discernment of Spirits

Recognizing demonic activity
Sensing spiritual oppression
Feeling a shift in the atmosphere

4. Scripture

A verse may expose a lie or truth.

5. Compassion

A supernatural compassion rises within you —
this is often the Holy Spirit pointing at the root.

Pull Quote

“Compassion is often the first indicator that the Holy Spirit is revealing the root.”

6. Practical Ways to Diagnose Clearly

Here are simple steps:

Step 1 — Review the Interview Quickly

What facts stood out?
What emotions surfaced?
What was repeated?

Step 2 — Ask One Silent Question

“Holy Spirit, what is the root?”

Then wait quietly.

You will feel:

• an impression

• a direction

• a word

• a picture

• a scripture

• a sense

Step 3 — Look for Patterns

Does the situation reflect:

• trauma?

• unforgiveness?

• fear?

• shame?

• demonic torment?

• generational cycles?

• physical injury?

Patterns reveal roots.

Step 4 — Hold Your Diagnosis Lightly

Diagnosis helps guide prayer.
It is not infallible.

You are not the doctor.
You are not the judge.
You are not the savior.

Only Jesus is all three.

7. What Diagnosis Is NOT

1. Not medical advice

You’re not diagnosing diseases.

2. Not an accusation

Never blame the person.

3. Not a chance to shame

Healing is not about exposing embarrassment.

4. Not guesswork

Diagnosis is Spirit-led.

5. Not a formula

Every person is unique.

8. What If You Don’t Know the Cause?

Then pray for effect.

The Holy Spirit often reveals more during prayer.

Some of the most incredible healings happen when:

• the root becomes clear mid-ministry

• the person suddenly remembers something

• the Spirit exposes a lie or image

• physical reactions occur

If you’re not sure, pray gently and wait.

Jesus will reveal it.

9. A Real-Life Example

A woman asks for prayer for chronic migraines.

Interview:
She’s had them for 15 years.
Medications haven’t helped.

Diagnosis:

As she speaks, the minister feels the word “fear.”

He gently asks:

“Did something traumatic happen around the time this began?”

She breaks down:

“My husband left that year… I thought it was my fault.”

Suddenly the entire picture changes.

The root was:

• rejection

• shame

• fear

• loss

The migraines were real — but the cause was emotional and spiritual.

After prayer for inner healing and breaking shame, the migraines completely stopped.

This is the power of discerning the root.

Pull Quote

“If you heal the root, the fruit must change.”

10. Summary

Stage Two — Diagnostic Decision — is the heart of effective healing ministry. Through natural understanding and Holy Spirit discernment, we identify the real cause beneath the surface.

Key Points

• Healing requires understanding the root, not just the symptom.

• Diagnosis includes natural and supernatural insights.

• Jesus always addressed root causes before miracles.

• The Holy Spirit gives wisdom, knowledge, and discernment for clarity.

• When the root is revealed and healed, transformation follows.

Engaging Question

What root causes have you seen in your own life — fear, trauma, sin, stress, spiritual oppression — that Jesus has healed or is healing today?