Let me go over with you an example so as to get a better understanding of why prayer at times apparent isn't getting a result.

People in my church have been finding their health under attack and succumbing to illness.

Now the first thing we need to do is recognise that a believer's health is precious because the price for it was paid on the Cross. The iniquity of us all was laid on Jesus. He was made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse. By His substitutionary sacrifice sickness was removed so health in Christ could be ours by inheritance. Isa.53:4-6; Gal.3:13.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5 - NKJV

So what was going on that these Bible-believing people in Christ were getting sick? Most likely it was an attack on their health orchestrated by our adversary the devil.

"Well, why", you ask, "when they defend their health and resist the devil don't they get health immediately restored?" There are a number reasons why. The major one is the nature of the devil's attack on the saints.

Let's take a look at why the devil's attacks on the saints take maturity in Christ in order to handle them.

Firstly, the devil organises affliction and pressure to prevent you retaining possession of anything related to Christ's victory. Secondly, he informs you any success he has in doing this demonstrates that God's Word represents an unsupportable position from which you would do well to back off.

In other words you need to keep this verse in mind,

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 - NKJV

I hope you see from this then why the devil's strategy against the saints takes a lot of dealing with! You've got to keep moving into "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" if you want to learn to live above that strategy!

In conclusion, the more you move into the fullness of Christ's stature the more you can possess your inheritance in spite of the battle plans of the devil. 1) You'll have to fight the good fight of faith. 2) You'll have to mature in Christ. 3) You'll have to develop fortitude which is the power to see things through. 4) You'll have to get your whole life set up on Kingdom of God principles.

For further explanations on this topic see my lesson, "Why Suffering!" It's one of my lessons in the collection: Life Lessons - Spiritual Well-being.

For a good class on health and healing see my class entitled "How to minister healing". It's one of my lessons in the collection: Life Lessons - Spiritual Equipping.

For classes on dealing with the devil see my class entitled "Blood Victory! - A class on overcoming the devil" and my class entitled "The Whole Armour of God" These are classes in my Bible Study. They are in Stages 5 and 6 respectively.