LAYING ON HANDS

Laying on Hands

In Prayer

“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22 KJV).

Several local church ladies went to a convention where one of the speakers prayed over them. When the ladies got home, they felt they’d been anointed by this man with special gifts and wanted to spread this new thing. This group was forceful, demanding to lay hands on all members. One member of the church, on his deathbed, begged this group not to pray for him or come near him. They trapped another woman in a room so they could pass their anointing on to her. It wasn’t long after this event that this church moved away from Bible teaching. These women didn’t bring home an anointing from God but from a false prophet.

I’ve been reading through the Epistles and I noticed something. Sometimes Paul asks for prayer in his letters and other times, he doesn’t. I know nothing is an accident in scripture–there are reasons Paul doesn’t ask for prayer. Paul warns Timothy not to be reckless when laying on hands. This is something that needs to be done with prayer and discernment.

Prayer is a powerful tool that needs to be used properly. When you add laying on hands to the mix, it becomes even more effective if done in accordance with God’s word. Let’s not take the weapons of our warfare lightly or put them into the enemy’s hands by using them carelessly.

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Tammy Wiens

Tammy lives in Saskatchewan with her husband. They have four children. She enjoys gardening, walks along the beach and being on the farm. She has a passion for her faith, studying the Bible and prayer.

She has published two books; Where a Little Rain Comes Down and Making the Bitter Sweet. A short story, “May’s First Christmas” appeared in Christmas Chaos, a collection of stories about Christmas experiences that don’t make the fronts of Christmas cards. “Careful What You Whisper” is another short story about Tammy’s experiences after breaking her back. It can be found in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Visit T. L. Wiens for more information about Tammy’s books and workshops.