11/01/2026
Golden Nugget – Laying on of Hands
We grow up under certain traditions and often never question why we do certain things. As a child, you grow up in a home and family that follows certain traditions, and when you ask why they do things a certain way, the answer will be: “That’s how we have always done it.” And you don’t dare try to do it another way; if you do, you are called rebellious.
From a very young age, I questioned everything and wanted to understand. In the same way, I question traditions in my walk with Yeshua—Jesus—and why we do certain things. In my quiet time with the Lord, as I read the Word, He highlights certain things to me by the Spirit, and then I ask Him, “Why?” I allow the Spirit to teach me and bring enlightenment. I now call these moments of teaching “golden nuggets.”
I believe we must all take the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us His ways, and reveal to us where we have allowed wrong traditions without revelation, knowledge, or understanding of why certain things are done. We are not called to follow the traditions of man blindly; we are called to follow His Word and His Truth.
To come out of Egypt and into the Promised Land is to allow the Holy Spirit to break us out of the box of tradition and into the wide-open space of understanding and revelation. The Spirit of God cannot be contained in a box of traditions. He wants us to break out into Truth.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’” — Jeremiah 6:16
(Not every “old path” is a man-made tradition—some are the ancient, God-ordained ways found in His Word, and those are the paths we need to look for.)
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With the Laying on of Hands, Impartation Comes
Acts 8:17: “Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
1 Timothy 4:14: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”
Acts 19:6: “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
We so easily lay hands on one another and allow people to pray for us, but we must understand how it works and use discernment. Scripture tells us that when the elders laid hands on people, they imparted gifts. These examples in Scripture are of the apostles and set-apart, sanctified leaders God chose to become His hands and feet on the earth. They were pure vessels used as a “gate” to transfer the gifts of His Spirit to the people.
When someone lays hands on you to impart gifts such as healing and deliverance, we have to be very careful. If a leader has hidden sin, and you are struggling with the same sin, impartation can take place in an unhealthy way.
That is why it is a very important part of our walk with Abba to allow His Spirit to sanctify, cleanse, and deliver us before we step into ministry or a position of leadership. A leader leads, and people follow; in the same way, what we carry can be imparted to the people.
I am not saying we must be faultless—we will make mistakes—but we must not live in secret, unrepentant sin. Yes, holiness is possible through surrender and obedience to the Spirit. There is a difference between having a bad day and being irritated, and being caught in lust in secret. As leaders, we must allow the Holy Spirit to take us through the fire of sanctification.
The gifts are irrevocable, but the anointing destroys the yoke. Many leaders are walking in gifting, but there is no anointing. The anointing is the oil of the Spirit flowing through us to the people. Oil does not flow without crushing, just as olives must be crushed to produce oil.
When we lay hands on people, it is no longer merely our hands, but the hands of Yeshua—Jesus. Sanctification is dying to self until only Jesus and His character flow through us.
If a leader walks in secret sin and lays hands on people, and that person carries a wound of rejection or abandonment, and the secret sin is lust, that lust can be transferred—and the enemy then gains legal access into that person’s life.
1 Timothy 5:22 (NKJV)
“Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.”
The opposite is also true: when a leader is walking in holiness, and the oil of His presence flows through that leader, and he or she prays for someone who carries a wound of rejection and abandonment, the presence of the Spirit can heal and restore that person through the hands of a leader who is filled and consumed with the presence and character of Jesus.
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Discernment Is Essential
The Word says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” That knowledge includes discernment. My people perish because they do not have discernment—and discernment only comes through the Holy Spirit.
We lack understanding of how the spiritual dimension works. When Abba teaches me the hidden things of His Kingdom, He often opens my spiritual eyes to see, and then He teaches me.
We hosted a ministry event a few years ago and invited a well-known prophet at the time. The person taught and then started prophesying. My spirit felt uncomfortable throughout the whole session. At the end, when the person began calling people to the front, my spiritual eyes were opened, and I saw the scenario unfolding in the Spirit.
I saw the words coming out of this person’s mouth, and as they fell on the people, the people were chained to those words. As the person prophesied and the people agreed with the words, they were placed in bo***ge. In the natural realm, it all sounded right, but in the Spirit, something felt off. Remember, the enemy needs agreement with the lie, and that gives him legal right to operate in your life. The moment people agreed with what was said, the enemy chained them to the words that were spoken. The people were so desperate to have a word from God that, without discernment, they came into agreement with what was said.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” — 1 John 4:1
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against… spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:12
The Holy Spirit immediately told us to intervene, and we had to stop the service in a very discreet way. We were responsible for the people in our ministry. I would rather obey God and offend man than please man and stand before God.
I did as God asked, and later that day—and for a long time after—He began teaching me the difference between operating out of the soulish realm and operating in the realm of the Spirit.
The soulish realm is flesh: a character that has not yet been sanctified. Even if that person operates in the gifts of the Spirit, they are not yet operating in the anointing. Operating out of a soulish realm as a leader gives the enemy access to place the people following you in bo***ge if they come into agreement with what you say, teach, and pray over them. As leaders, we carry a big responsibility.
James 3:1 (AMP)
Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will be judged by a higher standard [because we have assumed greater accountability and more condemnation if we teach incorrectly].
The realm of the Spirit is when we are dead to self and His character and anointing are flowing through us. We are seated in heavenly places, and we become a gate on earth through which His presence flows. The anointing destroys the yoke. A leader leading from the realm of the Spirit will be followed by signs, wonders, and miracles. It will not always be visible to physical eyes, but the person experiencing the Truth that flows from such a leader will be healed, set free, and delivered in their soul—they will know.
A leader walking in the Spirit will also offend those walking in religion, because the Spirit in them exposes the lies in others. It is not the person exposing others publicly, but rather the presence they carry that exposes what is hidden. Often, it will be something only the person walking in religion will know. Usually, that person will take offense quietly, but try to discredit the one walking in the Spirit in public. They would rather discredit the person walking in the Spirit to protect themselves and what is hidden inside them.
In Acts 5:3–4, in the presence of Peter, whoever lied fell dead to the ground—not because it was Peter, but because Peter was consumed with the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, and no lie can stand in the presence of Truth. In the same way, those who walk in Truth will challenge the lies inside of others. It will not be a public display, but rather a conviction within.
I want to challenge you to take this to the Father and ask His Spirit to teach you. Take the Word and study it until you have revelation about this topic.
The golden nugget I share is to get you thinking—to ignite a fire in your heart for Truth, and a desire to walk in His ways until your life is transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, and you live on this earth as it is in Heaven.
Much love,
Linda Chuter
www.barachtamid.co.za
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