Taking the Offensive

I played volleyball on a competitive team for 5 years before graduating this year, and I've learned a lot from my experience on the team. 

Right now God is really challenging me to be more consistent and passionate in my prayer life. He's showing me this way: 

There are two ways to play volleyball as a team. You can play defensively, or you can play offensively. When a team plays defensively, they are only trying to keep the other team from getting a point. They don't usually get the ideal three hits before sending the ball back over the net, and when they do, it's usually a really easy ball that the opponent will have no problem returning. They are merely trying to survive, and depending on the other team to make a mistake for them to get a point. When a team plays offensively, they are constantly setting themselves up so their third hit can be an attack, hopefully an attack that the other team cannot possibly return. Every hit on the ball has purpose, and they never send an easy ball over the net. They do not wait for the other team to make a mistake to get a point, they aggressively pursue the points. Every time the ball goes over the net, they realize that this is their opportunity to make a point, and they don't squander any of these opportunities. The other team has to be constantly ready to move and dive for the ball because this team isn't sending over any easy balls. 

God wants me to take the offensive in my prayer life. I am not here merely to survive and try to recover every time the devil attacks me, just barely being able to keep myself together until the next attack comes. God has called me to take the offensive, taking every opportunity to attack the devil. I'm not called to try to take what he sends me and recover from it, I'm supposed to take it, set myself up for an attack, and then take it! I should be giving the devil a hard time, and he should be barely recovering from my attacks. I should not be sending him any easy balls!  When I sit down to pray, when I set up for an attack, he should be scared out of his wits, wetting his pants, trying his best to prepare for an attack he knows he cannot possibly return.