Establishing a Spiritual Battle Rhythm
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. - Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)
“We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.” - Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Time is the vicious enemy of anyone working in ministry, but especially for those who place a “bi” in front of the word vocational. There is never enough time…never enough time to plan, to prepare…to get a haircut. The associated fear is that in the difficult management of limited time, and when we get lost in the intricate details of our daily activities, we lose a sense of what is really important – our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we do not prioritize that relationship, then we cannot seek God’s will by following Him daily in obedience. Then time is really wasted.
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” – Abraham Lincoln
Our routine must revolve around sharpening our sword – time spent with God in His word. From there, we shift our focus to our ministry. Recognizing that we first need a purpose and an end state for our ministry, meaning we identify what we want our students to know and be able to do when they transition out of our student ministry, we ensure that all activities are in some way associated with accomplishing that end.
The threefold mission of our Student Ministry is as follows: Set the conditions for students to develop a real relationship with Jesus Christ; train our students to share the Gospel; and prepare our students for transition to life beyond high school, equipping them to stand firm in their faith when faced with opposition or contention
From this base, we then create a framework that allows us to accomplish those tasks, while ensuring that the foundation for this framework will be built on our own relationship with Jesus Christ and our individual spiritual growth.
Throughout my former Army career, I learned that, for me, the most important thing every day was establishing priorities that allowed me to more effectively manage limited time. This was considered first at the organizational level, then at the small unit and individual level. It is the same for me now that I work in bi-vocational ministry; I must first establish an organizational “spiritual battle rhythm” and then individual spiritual priorities of work.
Effective time management allows us to get our priorities straight and efficiently complete tasks, beginning with our spiritual priorities and tasks. Understanding that the conflicts faced throughout my military career can be compared, in many ways, to the spiritual war I fight and face every day, I have applied these principles from my military service to my spiritual service for God.
Here is a description of a military battle rhythm:
“Successful battle rhythm implies the synergism of procedures, processes, technologies, individual activities and collective actions at warfighter, staff level, command node, and unit levels in order to facilitate military operations.” - (Duffy, LorRaine, Bordetsky, Alex, Bach, Eric, Blazevich, Ryan, and Oros, Carl. A Model of Tactical Battle Rhythm. White paper. Naval Postgraduate School, June, 2004. Page 1.)
For military units, at the most basic level, this means establishing weekly and daily schedules outlining the priority and sequence of events for upcoming training and military operations. I translate that description into one outlining how to develop a spiritual battle rhythm: “Successful spiritual battle rhythm implies that all activities are identified and prioritized from the individual level to the ministry level in order to facilitate daily obedience to Jesus Christ.”
Before laying out a spiritual battle rhythm, which is generally broken down into a weekly schedule, we must have an understanding of the mission of our ministry. We first lay out a vision and a purpose, and the associated tasks that drive the Bible Study curriculum, ministry events, as well as annual and monthly plans. In addition to creating annual and long term planning calendars, I then lay out weekly and daily schedules to guide my task priorities.
“Lost time is never found again.” - Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack
Because of the limited time that bi-vocational pastors have at their disposal, we must also consider return on investment. I have to decide which investments of time get me the most return, in terms of maintaining and deepening my own relationship with Jesus Christ, growing in my spiritual maturity, establishing relationships with people, pouring into lives, providing effective spiritual mentorship, and accomplishing our ministry vision. My biggest return on investment will always be my own quiet time with God, so it must be a top priority. From there I determine which tasks will best facilitate my other ministry priorities. My spiritual battle rhythm will lay out my bigger tasks and activities, while my individual priorities of work will lay out individual priorities.
Review this example of a spiritual battle rhythm:
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K-Mac’s Spiritual Battle Rhythm |
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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AM Church Services and Bible Study
Afternoon Family Time
Evening Bible Study |
7:20 AM – 3:30 PM Work Day
Afternoon Church Office Business
Evening (1-2 times monthly) Church/School Meetings
Late Evening Lesson Prep (for Wednesday) |
7:20 AM – 3:30 PM Work Day
Afternoon Team Practice at High School
Evening Sports Events at area Schools
Late Evening Final Lesson Prep (for Wednesday) |
7:20 AM – 3:30 PM Work Day
Afternoon Church Admin Business
Evening Student Ministry Worship |
7:20 AM – 3:30 PM Work Day
Afternoon Team Practice at High School
Evening Study/Outline for Next Wednesday Lesson Prep for Sunday |
7:20 AM – 3:30 PM Work Day
Evening Sports Events at area Schools |
All Day (2 times a month) Competition Days/Ministry Events
Evening Final Preparation for Sunday |
This schedule guides me through my administrative, ministry, and work-related tasks, accounting for preparation and study time. This spiritual battle rhythm also has, and must have, built-in flexibility. The example does not include special events, event planning, hospital visits, and other tasks. Those become added priorities that are worked into the weekly schedule. This battle rhythm is a basic guide for my weekly schedule.
Again, every scheduled event on this battle rhythm represents an investment of time. Notice that I prioritize attending community sports events in my schedule. While this is a point for future and more in depth discussion, I consider supporting the students in their activities and “meeting them where they are” an important aspect of effective student ministry.
There is potential frustration in that approach. I have driven an hour to watch multiple students participate in sports on a Tuesday evening, only to have none of those students show up for the Wednesday worship service. This points out that, in the long run, we must always review and consider our return on investment. It will not take long to recognize those students who take your investment of time for granted, and those who recognize it as a sacrifice of love.
Once a battle rhythm is established, that schedule drives small unit and individual priorities of work. Typical military priorities of work might look like this (in order): establish security, create a withdrawal plan, establish communications, conduct mission preparation, weapons maintenance, re-supply, eat, conduct personal hygiene, and establish a rest plan. I use this framework, and my weekly spiritual battle rhythm, to create my individual priorities of work.
These priorities, and their timing, have to make sense. For example, I must establish “security” in Christ at the start of every day. This means I focus on trusting Him with each day and surrendering the day to Him. This requires deliberate time spent with Jesus Christ each day, but that is not always as easy as it sounds. For example, my wife wakes in the early morning hours every day to do her quiet time and pray. That works for her. My problem is that my brain does not engage early in the morning. Notice from my spiritual battle rhythm that my normal study and preparation time is late evening. My mind works overtime in the late evening, but I am generally an idiot before 9:00 AM. Therefore, I must be creative in the way I conduct my spiritual priorities of work.
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K-Mac’s Daily Spiritual Priorities of Work |
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What |
Why |
How |
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Establish Security in Christ |
Establish a focus on honoring God each day |
Morning – Christian Music and Reflection |
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Establish a Withdrawal Plan |
Create a plan to “get away” for quiet time |
Morning – review schedule; set time to conduct quiet time |
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Establish Communication w/ God |
Seek daily guidance from God through the Holy Spirit |
Before lunch – devotional reading, quiet time and prayer |
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Ministry/Mission Preparation |
Focus/plan/prep upcoming ministry events |
Use time in the daily schedule to create and review “to do” lists and complete tasks as necessary Late evening – Lesson and message prep |
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Rest Plan |
Find “Sabbath” time |
Schedule deliberate “down” time to honor God |
These priorities of work guide my daily tasks, and they are nested in the greater spiritual battle rhythm. Because I often work seven days a week, I must carve “Sabbath time” out of my weekly schedule. (Look for an upcoming blog on “Finding a Sabbath”.)
I always tune into Christian radio stations on my way to work in order to get my spirit conditioned to focus on Jesus Christ and how I might serve Him on that day. While I am driving, I think through my schedule and figure out if my normal time for Bible reading will be affected. Assuming my designated quiet time is available, and once my brain is engaged, I do my Bible reading, quiet time, and prayer during my first break. I then execute my ministry preparation throughout the day in accordance with my spiritual battle rhythm and any additional available time.
The spiritual battle rhythm drives my schedule, but it is within my spiritual priorities of work that I am able to create the essential moments to grow in my faith walk and improve my relationship with Jesus Christ. If I am not in the right frame of spirit, I cannot be effective in my ministry tasks. Each day, I must first and foremost give that day to God and spend time with Him. It is during those moments that I receive wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit, making my lesson preparation, event planning, and ministry planning more effective.
Time, no matter how limited, is a gift that God gives to us. Like any other blessing, we must be good stewards of this gift, using it effectively for His purpose.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring