Hey, I’m Addison. You’re reading Bigger Than Me, a newsletter about mastering compassion, the essential skill for great relationships. Sign up or scroll to the good stuff.
This article is part of an ongoing Bigger Than Me series on the topic of healing.
Each issue builds on the last to explore how Jesus showed compassion in healing and how we can follow in His footsteps. If you’re joining mid-series, I recommend starting from the beginning or catching up on any parts you missed below:
Original graphic by Bryan Arcebal
You step into the cold, sterile lobby of your local bank, clutching a check in your hands.
It looks too good to be true.
The amount written on the check is staggering. Money that would change your life.
As you stand in line, doubt begins creeping in.
“What if this is a prank? What if I walk up there and they laugh in my face? What if I just end up looking stupid?”
Your grip tightens. You fidget with the check, running your thumb over the paper.
“I shouldn’t be here. I’m going to mess this up. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe I don’t actually deserve this.”
You step forward.
Your turn.
Sliding the check across the counter, you try to keep your voice steady:
“I’d like to cash this, please.”
The teller: a man in a pressed suit with cold, unreadable eyes, picks up the check. He examines it, flipping it over, staring at it longer than feels necessary.
Then, without hesitation, he shoves it back across the counter.
“You can’t cash this.”
Your breath catches.
Your cheeks flush.
Confusion floods your mind.
Did you miss some fine print?
Was the check a mistake?
Was the money never in the account?
As the teller stares, you glance around. Embarrassment sets in as others in line begin to notice.
“Okay…” you reply timidly.
You quickly reach for the check and tuck it into your pocket.
And just like that,
You give up.
“Next!” you hear the teller call as you slink away.
You leave the bank dejected.
The check was never the problem
The check was good.
The money was in the account.
You had every right to be there and every reason to walk out with more than you came in with.
So why leave empty-handed?
Someone lied.
And you believed them.
The same is true of your healing.
Most believers treat healing, just like that check, as a hopeful request. They act as if it’s something they may receive if they’re good enough, or pray hard enough, or catch God on a gracious day.
However, scripture paints a very different picture.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
– 1 Peter 2:24
“And these signs will accompany those that believe… they will place their hands on sick people, and they will recover.”
– Mark 16:17-18
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…”
– John 14:12
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… He will also give life to your mortal bodies.”
– Romans 8:11
These are not vague encouragements. They are legal declarations.
Healing, like the check you were given, is not a reward.
It is a receipt.
Jesus didn’t just make healing possible.
He made it final.
It was paid for in full by the wounds on His body.
So why do so many believers still fail to see healing?
They mistake the enemy’s lie as God’s voice.
The enemy has no right to say “no”
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Most people assume that healing is God’s active decision, and that when it doesn’t come, it must be because He’s chosen to say “no.” Or worse, He’s unable to.
But that’s not what scripture shows us.
As we’ve already explored, Jesus revealed the real source of sickness: the devil.
And as we saw last issue, the same Jesus who healed all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38) never once turned someone asking for healing away for “God’s greater purpose.”
So when you’re standing at the counter and hear, “you can’t cash this,” you’re not hearing God’s voice.
That is not Jehovah Rapha: the God who heals. (Exodus 15:26)
That is not Yahweh with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2)
That is not your Savior who was whipped for your healing. (Isaiah 54:3-4)
You’re hearing a fraud.
The devil has no more right to deny healing than a bank employee has to refuse your money.
“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
However, since that bank employee hates you, and especially hates the thought of you walking out with that much money, you better believe he’ll lie through his teeth to keep you from it.
He’ll raise his voice.
He’ll make you feel like you were holding up the line.
He’ll get other people to turn and stare.
He will threaten, shame, and trick you into questioning whether you even belong in the bank in the first place to get his way.
The truth?
He can’t touch the account.
He can’t erase the balance.
But he can sow doubt.
And If he can get people to doubt, they usually walk away.
Healing was never a question
Jesus didn’t give us authority so we could ask permission from the devil. Christ gave us authority so we could enforce His victory.
Which is exactly why He and the disciples moved the way they did.
“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’”
– Matthew 8:2–3
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart… it will be done for him.”
– Mark 11:23
“And Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!’”
– Acts 3:6
Nowhere in the Gospels do we see Jesus say, “Father, if it’s your will, please heal this man.”
Nowhere do we see Peter or Paul bow their heads and ask for a healing miracle.
They spoke to the sickness.
They commanded healing.
They rebuked affliction and released Holy Spirit’s power.
Why?
Because they knew it was Satan’s doing, and Jesus came to destroy it.
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
They understood that when you’ve identified an enemy, been issued authority, and have been tasked with a mission, you don’t beg.
You command.
Speaking as more than a conqueror.
Original graphic by Bryan Arcebal
If you’re reading this, chances are there’s a healing you’ve been praying for, maybe in your own body, maybe for someone you love.
Here’s the shift: stop praying like you’re waiting for God to act.
Start speaking like He already did.
Next time you pray for healing, say this out loud:
“In Christ, I have been given all authority in heaven and earth! In Jesus’ name, be healed!”
By faith in Jesus’ name, speak to the body. Command it to heal directly.
That’s not arrogance. That’s alignment with God’s Word.
You are not demanding something God hasn’t decided yet.
You are cashing the check Jesus wrote for you in His own blood instead of letting it sit in your pocket.
Picture that teller again, the one saying “no.”
He does not get to decide.
Not anymore.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature…”
Until next time,
Addison
PS: Next time we’ll talk about the techniques the “teller” uses to instill doubt, and how to stand in faith against them. Stay tuned!
Continue the Healing Series
This article is part of a four-part Bigger Than Me series on healing—meant to be read together.
If this issue stirred something in you, I recommend continuing through the series in order or catching up on any parts you’ve missed:
Don’t Leave Empty Handed (← You’re here!)
Each piece builds on the last, helping you move from understanding to confidence without pressure.
Did you read the whole thing?
Still Carrying Questions About Healing?
In Jesus’ Name isn’t theory. It’s your receipt.
If you’ve ever walked away from healing thinking, “Maybe it’s not time yet,” this guide will show you how to stop asking and start enforcing what Jesus already paid for.
It’s time to cash the check.
You Weren’t Meant to Fight This Alone
We’ve all stood at that teller window and heard “no” before.
Inside the Bigger Than Me Community, you’ll find people who refused to walk away.
We’re learning to enforce Kingdom healing — together — with boldness, clarity, and compassion.
Let’s stop doubting and start activating.
