Description
Definition
This aptitude includes various abilities to cure or improve someone’s health, whether it is spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical health. The New Testament contains many references to healing, but First Corinthians includes it with the roles God has specifically placed in the church. “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing” (1 Cor. 12:28).
Most Christian teaching about healing emphasizes the supernatural origin of this ability, that man is only a channel for the healing work of God. That is true in the purest sense, and is also true of every other aptitude: apostles, prophets, teachers, administrators, helpers, and so on. Because God has created individuals uniquely qualified for each of His supernatural works, some are naturally attracted to people who need healing and have a natural ability to promote healing. This is the aptitude of healing. While the supernatural expression is the ultimate, with the Holy Spirit working through a believer to administer healing, some people with this aptitude gravitate to the medical profession because they have the same desire to care for the sick.
In a general sense, healing is different from a miracle. Healing restores people to wholeness, while the emphasis of a miracle is superseding the natural laws. Occasionally, healing is miraculous in the sense that it restores wholeness where the normal healing processes were inadequate or did not exist. Healing may also be considered miraculous if it occurs much more rapidly than normal.
The New Testament uses more than one Greek word to describe healing. One such word is therapeuo, which primarily means “to serve” and “to care for the sick.” This portrays healing as a caring service and is the source of the English word “therapy.” Another word, iaomai, refers to healing a physical wound and has an extended meaning of restoring; the New Testament uses this word in the general sense of healing. A third word is sozo, which means to save from serious danger, and most frequently in the New Testament applies to the total person, not just salvation or physical healing. New Testament examples show that healing may be instantaneous or gradual, and sometimes include delivering the person from demonic influence. We also know that physical ailments can be the result of mental or emotional problems; for example, continued stress causes chemical imbalances, resulting in physical ailments.
People clearly need more than just physical healing. The Greek text of the New Testament alludes to this by literally referring to “gifts [plural] of healings [plural]” (1 Cor. 12:28), suggesting different gifts and types of healing. This makes room for those individuals who emphasize the supernatural method of praying for the sick and those who promote the natural method by caring for the sick. Most concentrate on physical symptoms, but some specialize in illnesses with nonphysical causes. Some specialize in certain types of illness, such as those involving eyes, backs, ears, cancer, and so on.
If you have the aptitudes of healing and discernment, you can determine whether a spirit is responsible for the symptoms. If the human spirit, human psyche, or human body is responsible, then healing is necessary. If a demonic spirit is responsible for the problem, then both deliverance and healing are needed. Jesus gave the disciples authority to “cure every kind of disease and sickness” (Matt. 10:1), whatever its nature or cause. For example, physical and psychological illnesses may have spiritual and even demonic causes (see Matt. 8:16-17; 8:28-29). This involves more than treating symptoms, since you cannot restore health without removing the cause. You may need to recommend the sick person change an attitude, behavior, or environment, for example.
If your primary focus is God’s ability to heal, then diagnosing symptoms and prescribing remedies will be less important to you. You may still recognize the importance of nutrition, medication, and lifestyle, for example, but your emphasis is on God’s healing power flowing through you to heal the sick.
As someone with the aptitude of healing, you may not be people-oriented, so you might be objective and detached, treating patients as cases rather than people. You would have little interest in forming relationships with those you heal, and your greatest interest in their feelings may be their diagnostic value if they help you identify the cause of the disorder. If you also have such aptitudes as mercy or pastoral care, however, you will be more subjective in caring for people.
Typical Characteristics
● Pray for or care for those who are ill or distressed.
● Deep awareness of a person’s suffering, coupled with the desire to relieve it.
● Strong desire to restore people to wholeness (spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical).
Tendencies
● Perspective: positive. In spite of a person’s injury or illness, you believe healing can occur and are optimistic that it will.
● Priorities: one of the following. In each case, proper care and nurturing promotes healing.
● Spirit: spiritual healing.
● Emotions and feelings: emotional healing.
● Body: physical healing.
● Issue Perception: probably objective. You feel you cannot afford to feel the hurt of every sick or injured person you treat. Your interest is in solving the person’s problem, rather than forming a relationship. If you have another aptitude that is very subjective, however, you will feel the person’s pain and be more personable in your care for them.
Misunderstandings
Your tendency to diagnose problems and recommend solutions can at times make your family and friends feel that therapy is more important to you than relationships.
Vocations and Roles
Depending on your priority: medical specialist (physical emphasis, encouraging the body’s natural healing processes), mental health specialist (psychological emphasis), spiritual health specialist (pastor, counselor, prayer minister).
Perversions
Self-Centeredness
(Perverts your aptitude by focusing it on you, emphasizing the pleasure or fulfillment it gives you.)
You could easily become arrogant about your “power” to heal because people come to you powerless to help themselves and you relieve them of their distress. You may even become irritated if they do not follow the remedy you suggest.
Extremes
(Perverts by exaggerating, taking your characteristics and tendencies to extremes.)
You can become preoccupied with your ability to do for others what they cannot do for themselves. This can lead you to dictate their life-changing decisions or become intolerant of anyone who is reluctant to submit to your treatment, whether it is prayer or therapy. Because you focus on those who need healing, you can become preoccupied with illness and imagine that virtually everyone is sick.
Control
(Self-centeredness makes you want to be in control, and you struggle for control in a way that is unique to your character.)
You feel a need for control when you think someone is not taking proper care of themselves. You may seize control by imposing your “cure” (prayer, therapy, or treatment), even ignoring the person’s objections, and justifying your action because you believe it is what they need.
Redemption
Putting on Important Traits
Certain godly character traits are especially important to you as a healer. Consciously developing the following traits will help you promote the healing of people’s diseases, despite their cause.
● Humility (Considers self relatively unimportant compared to others; prevents using abilities for one’s own satisfaction.) Humility prevents you from assuming responsibility for any healing or lack of it. It also prevents drawing attention to yourself or your abilities.
● Agape (Considers others’ welfare, needs, interests, and desires more important than your own; motivates you to act for others’ benefit regardless of personal impact.) Agape makes you willing to do whatever promotes other people’s healing even if it involves personal inconvenience or sacrifice.
● Goodness (Action on another’s behalf, whether pleasant or unpleasant to them; motivates you to do what is best for others.) Goodness motivates you to do whatever promotes healing, even if it is unpleasant to the recipient.
● Faith or faithfulness (Firm conviction regarding something for which there is no proof; action based on such conviction.) Faith motivates you to pray or continue appropriate treatment based on a firm conviction that healing can occur, though it is usually a gradual process.
● Desire for knowledge (Seeking to know, an enquiry, or investigation; recognizing and obtaining knowledge or understanding.) If your emphasis is on natural healing, your desire for knowledge includes investigation of symptoms to diagnose the problem’s cause and continued study to find more effective treatments. If your emphasis is supernatural healing, your concern is learning to administer God’s healing power.
Repentance, Renewing Your Mind
(The changes you need to make in the way you think, including your attitudes, standards, priorities, and perspective.)
Your role is to care for the sick by applying proper treatment, whether that is medical or psychological care or supernatural healing. Treatment must address the cause of the problem because you would not be serving people effectively if you treat only their symptoms. Healing is a demonstration of God’s power and a benefit of His kingdom, not just a means to relieve people’s distress. So in that sense you serve both God and the sick by delivering the wholeness God provides to those who need it.
Denying and Humbling Yourself
(Rejecting your own desires and self-interests. Refusing to be motivated by desire for recognition or credit for the results.)
You can easily become proud of your ability to heal people who were unable to help themselves, but you must consider yourself nothing more than a servant providing a highly specialized service. Strongly reject every tendency to accept credit for someone’s healing. Failure to deny yourself can prevent God’s healing power from flowing through you.
Taking up Your Cross
(Accepting that which has potential for great harm, threatens to break you down, or reveals your inadequacies.)
Your inadequacies or mistakes can have dire consequences for others, and your personal responsibility can put you at risk. You are personally vulnerable through exposure to disease (for medical workers), or the emotional effects of being constantly around people with problems. You also can be worn down by the demands of intense or prolonged treatment. Administering healing can be time-consuming and the long hours can adversely affect your relationships.
Following Jesus
(How you uniquely imitate Jesus by doing what He would in your situation.)
Jesus healed all who came to Him. For you, this means offering your attention and skills to everyone, rather than expecting success with every case. Jesus withdrew regularly to restore Himself in preparation for continued service. He addressed people’s true problems, not just their symptoms.
Becoming Like a Child
(Accepting what God gives you, believing what He tells you, trusting Him to take care of you, and simply doing what He says.)
Accurate diagnosis is a key to your effectiveness, whether you are prescribing treatment or praying for the person, and only God diagnoses correctly every time. Learn to accept what He tells you about each case and respond accordingly. Trust Him to provide what you need to heal the sick and protect you from any kind of harm associated with working continuously with the sick.