(April 8, 2025) Editorial note: The late Georgia Cohen RN was famous for her caring… and her book, Nurse Georgee. The following excerpt shares her caring heart as she zeros in on some spiritual diagnoses— giving an opendoor opportunity to respond. If something clicks with you, exercise faith believing that the Lord will help.

[A reader just come across this excerpt that we originally posted years ago and shared his appreciation. As we’ve been hearing lately about Christians bothered with illnesses (even your editor), some people we know, some we don’t … we felt to rerun it reminding readers that our Saviour is the great miracle-worker and divine physician (Matthew 8:16-17). Praise God for today’s medical profession… maybe there’s some spiritual issues to be considered too].

Spiritual Healing
In my profession as a nurse I’ve had the privilege of assisting many great doctors help patients recovery from illnesses. It’s good to know that many medical professionals believe in God’s healing power or at least are open to the benefits of faith and what is often regarded as ‘spiritual healing.’

In every conversation we engage in to help troubled sick people, our mind should always be focused on looking for a spiritual diagnosis. When an individual does not know Jesus as Saviour, they are spiritually sick. They need the right medicine to treat their illness.

Jesus is the great physician and has the cure for every spiritual disease and the medicine to cure spiritual sickness is the Bible. Sick people need to meet the great physician, the best diagnostician in the world.

We’re all ‘Doctors’ for Jesus!
Before I surrendered my life to Christ, my spiritual disease was hopelessness. My sister, Barbara, encouraged me, daily saying, ‘There’s a better way, Georgia, and His name is Jesus.’ I knew the way I was going was disastrous.

Barbara treated my hopeless spiritual disease with the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Good doctors always do a complete history and physical on their patients, leaving no stone unturned. In daily encounters, we also need to do complete assessments when talking with others.

As Christians, we need to do a spiritual assessment on every person we come in contact with. The goal is to diagnose the spiritual problem.

Once you pinpoint the problem, you have your spiritual diagnosis.

God’s Penicillin
The treatment for the spiritual diagnosis is the word of God. The Bible is God’s penicillin for the human race. Here are eight examples from my own experience…

1. Unloved
I first saw Ruthie as a mean, sarcastic, troublemaker— but Jesus saw a precious young lady in need of knowing that she was loved.

Ruthie’s spiritual diagnosis was feeling unwanted, uncared for, friendless, unvalued, rejected, unwelcomed, shunned, spurned, neglected and abandoned.

The treatment was the love of God. Ruthie cried when she read the words on the cake I gave her: ‘You are loved.’ A simple but practical and meaningful aspect of the treatment she desperately needed.

2. Fear
Amos I saw as a man afraid of someone messing with his heart.

His spiritual diagnosis was fear. When I prayed for God to help him with his decision, his fear left and the healing began. Through the constant reinforcement of God’s love for him during his time in CCU (Coronary Care Unit), my final conversation with Amos led him to ask Jesus into his life.

At that point Amos became ripe fruit. He was ready to receive what God had for him. There was no arm twisting or coercing. Amos was ready to receive; just as a peach on a tree falls gently into your hand when ripe; Amos fell gently into the hands of the almighty God.

3. Doubt
Big John displayed his doubt about salvation: ‘Georgee, I just don’t know about this Jesus.’ He talked to me about his life and how he wanted to change it. Fighting and beating people up was a thing of the past. Guilt over his behaviour consumed him. How could God forgive him for what he had done?

His spiritual diagnosis was doubt in God and guilt. The treatment was God’s love.

4. Unbelief
Poppy was caught up in his Jewish heritage and that it couldn’t possibly include a ‘gentile’ Jesus. His spiritual diagnosis was doubt and unbelief.

After years of witnessing to Poppy that Jesus loves him and is his true Messiah, Poppy finally invited Jesus into his heart. The treatment for Poppy was the truth of the gospel.

5. Anger
Max was consumed with anger towards God.

His spiritual diagnosis being that kind of anger, his treatment was encouraging him to talk about the anger. God can take it!

6. Hurt
Ken was cemented in his past of hurt and pain. He camped out there three years ago and refused to move on.

His spiritual diagnosis was unforgiveness.

7. Religion
Nunzio was just like Poppy. He was caught up in a religion and not the person of Jesus Christ.

His spiritual diagnosis was the lack of truth. The treatment was a clear explanation of the message of salvation.

8. Confusion
Marge was confused about how she could be born again. She was caught up in a religion without a personal relationship with the God of this universe.

Her spiritual diagnosis was unbelief and lack of truth. The treatment was a short but clear presentation of the gospel.

Sharing the Great Diagnostician!
In all my encounters, as I search for the spiritual diagnosis, my mind is on witnessing. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Shouldn’t we do likewise?

I encourage every Christian to trust God for each step you take. As you search for the spiritual diagnosis, God will lead you to the path of treatment.
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Georgia Cohen, RN, was always passionate about sharing Jesus. She was known for her boldness and patients would favour her as ‘Nurse Georgee.’ We highly recommend her motivational, insightful and practical book, Nurse Georgee. Orders: Xulon Press: ▪ Paperback   Amazon: ▪ Paperback ▪ Kindle   Barnes and Noble: ▪ Paperback ▪ Nook ISBN: ▪ Paperback ISBN 978-1-62697-780-8 ▪ e-book ISBN 978-1-62697-781-5
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