God has been dealing with me of late about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25, Lev. 15:19 and Matt 14:34-36). I used these scriptures to start looking at this. God was telling me that this story illustrates the modern church. The wounded woman are people in the church who believe but are not delivered from pain and hurt in their lives. They want to serve and be whole, but just don't know how to get free. The bible talks about doctors who tried or promised repeatedly to heal this woman but had no power to help her. Instead she ended up spending all that she had trying to find a true balm for her ailments. Just like people go from church to church looking for leadership with a true connection to God, someone who can get a prayer through so they can find peace in their spirit and even in their bodies. It's like a bird trying to fly with a broken wing, trying to function in ministry and lead people to Christ but your witness is ineffective because it's obvious to everyone that you're wounded. The disciples were in effect the law. They were supposed to see this woman's need and have compassion, but instead clung to various rules about women being clean (women who were bleeding were considered unclean) and wanted Jesus to just dismiss her. The church does this now. People who are homeless, former inmates, prostitues, drug dealers and drug addicts EMBARRASS them! They want ministry but don't want to deal with people who have desperate needs in their lives. Thank God for GRACE! The woman represented the church and the ministries that God wants to deliver from hurt, dispair, demon oppression, fear and anything that holds them back from ministering effectively. God showed me this is the modern day church. We don't seek God anymore with passion and consistency, therefore leaders are becoming weak and ineffective. There isn't fasting and prayer on a consistent basis so in effect, the church has learned to tie God's hands. He can't show up if the atmosphere isn't right, He can't move if there is no true worship, He can't move because we have lost faith. This is why members are walking/working wounded spirits. The disciples wanted to dismiss her, because Jesus was actually on His way to heal a child but stopped on His way to heal this woman. God is saying we need to stop and look at ourselves and the people we are called to help. We need to take a minute and see if someone else has a need because it's not about you but whatever God wants to do in and through you. She was wounded and unable to heal herself. We need the ministry of intercession back in the church. We need the ministry of the prophet (real Prophet not tickle your ears prophets). Her blood was unable to clot so that she could put her painful past behind her. Blood is binding and represents covenant. This is why Christ's shed blood is so precious. Blood has iron in it. When detectives apply Luminol to blood at a crime scene, it bonds with the iron component in the blood and it glows or illuminates. The blood of Christ once applied to our lives, our past and our hurt illuminates us. We become completely healed, whole and ready to do the work of the ministry.

Blessings to you all, thebrokenvessel