When was the last time someone asked you how your day was? What was your response? I bet that at least once in the last week you responded with “busy.”

Whether your involvement in ministry is for your job or something you do as a volunteer, there is one thing that is certain: you don’t ever seem to have enough time. So how do you increase ministry fruitfulness when you are already too busy as it is?

Below are three practices for your busy life that will increase ministry fruitfulness without adding a single minute to your busy day.

1. Confess the need for margin in your life

Firstly, if you want to increase your ministry fruitfulness, start by admitting the need to slow down and do less. Practice the discipline of saying "no" more often, even to requests to serve. We need wiggle room to operate, not just in our schedule, but in our hearts and minds too. If we are at mental, energy, and relationship capacity, where is there room to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit?

Take Jesus for example. In Capernaum, Jesus had an entire town at His door looking for His help.

“When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to Him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door.” Mark 1:32-33

And what did He do? 

“Rising very early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. Simon and those who were with Him pursued Him and on finding Him said, ‘Everyone is looking for You!’ He told them, ‘Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” Mark 1:35-38

Jesus said "no" to the requests to heal sick and needy people. In the midst of all that seemingly good work, He said “no” and created margin for Himself and the disciples. 

How does margin increase Jesus’ ministry fruitfulness? And how can it increase yours?

• Margin gives us space to hear God. Have you ever tried to have a conversation while sprinting? It’s pretty hard to hear the person next to you, but when you slow down and take a walk, you can listen and respond. The same goes for your relationship with God. Slow down, so you can hear God’s voice and correct your path as you go. You’ll find you accomplish more of the right things.
• Margin gives us the space to participate in God’s plan, rather than our own. We lay plans, and then God has His own. But we can’t say "yes" to God’s agenda if our agenda is full and we are at capacity. Practicing the discipline of saying "no" to a few things may give us space to say "yes" to the right things.
• Margin keeps us humble and reliant on God. The discipline of saying "no" even to really important requests is a humble acknowledgement that you are a limited resource, but God’s resources are unlimited. Saying "no" and operating with margin keeps you relying and trusting in God to solve all the things you cannot.

Stop now and ask yourself, "What is one thing I can give up to build margin into my week?" If you have trouble letting go of anything, take a moment to pray through the following three lies we tell ourselves that keep us operating without personal margin. 

• "It needs to be perfect" – the perfectionism mindset. Nothing is perfect but God. So to think that whatever we are doing has to be done perfectly is a lie. God chose to build His church with imperfect people. Do your best, know when it is enough, then move on and let God do the rest.
• "I can’t disappoint him/her/them" – the people-pleasing mindset. We don’t have to please anyone but God. He calls us to serve others, not to please them.
• "He/She/They need me" – the rescuer mindset. If you feel like you are the only one that can help in a situation, then you aren’t trusting God. Remember, you are a limited resource, but God has unlimited resources. He can accomplish His work with or without you. You are not the rescuer; God is.

2. Live prayerfully

Prayer is one of the primary tools God gives us to increase our ministry fruitfulness. But we often overcomplicate it and when things get complicated, they don’t get done. So rather than thinking of prayer as a noun or a verb, think of it as an adverb for a change: do everything you do prayerfully.

Below are a few practical ways you can live prayerfully.

• If someone asks for prayer in person, don’t tell them you will pray for them. Instead, stop and say the prayer on the spot.
• If someone emails you and asks for prayer, reply back and type out the prayer, saying it as you type it.
• Have a basic, 1-2 sentence prayer you pray every morning upon waking while you stretch, get out of bed and make coffee or tea. Same prayer every day, perhaps changing it for the season. Keep it simple so you can memorise it, and say it as you wake up.
• Write down a prayer or Bible verse for the week. Carry it in your pocket or save it to your locked screen on your phone. Every time you see it, pause for a moment, and read it aloud or to yourself.
• Pray for those you love while you do things for them. Folding your son’s laundry? Pray for his day at school.

If you go about your normal living praying your way through your day, then you don’t actually have to add it to your list as something extra to do. It just becomes the way you do everything you already do.

3. Fast regularly

Fasting sounds like an intimidating spiritual discipline for some of us. We often think of rabbis going long stretches without food. We feel like we have to build up to it and prepare ourselves for it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Think of fasting in skipping a meal once per week and replacing that with one of these activities.

• Enjoy a time of Scripture reading.
• Pray for a particular person or ministry.
• Use the margin to rest and take a nap.

Talk about a remedy for busy people!

There you have it. Three things you can do to increase your ministry fruitfulness without adding a single minute to your already busy schedule.