TWENTY-SIX THINGS CHRISTIANS SHOULD DO IN 2026

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

2026 is here, and with it comes the question we ask ourselves every year: How do we actually live as Christians in a world that rarely makes space for Jesus? At The Few, we’ve been thinking about this a lot, and over the years, we’ve learned that spiritual growth isn’t about doing everything perfectly, it’s about doing the things that matter, consistently, even when no one is watching.

So, here’s our list: Twenty-Six Things Christians Should Do In 2026. Some are simple, some are countercultural, and some may feel uncomfortable at first. Each one is an invitation to reorient your heart, reorder your loves, and let Jesus shape the rhythms of your life in very practical, tangible ways.

Here are 26 things I believe Christians should do in 2026!

1. Read the Bible in a year. This will most likely be the first thing I put on every list we create here at The Few. We know and trust that the Word of God does not return void, meaning that it will always produce beauty and righteousness within our hearts if our soul’s hunger for it and apply it. This is the goal I would encourage you to follow through with in 2026 even if it means you don’t accomplish anything else. Here is the plan I love and have used for a few years now: https://www.proclaimstreetwear.com/
2. Use our Blog posts as a devotional resource for yourself, your small group (or groups), and church groups/congregations. We have been blogging since 2019, so we have an excellent archive of posts that are free to read at any time you so choose! You could read one a day as part of your devotional time, or share them in more of a lesson format within your small groups and/or church groups. We publish a new post every Thursday, so new ones are always being added that we promise will be honest, encouraging as well as challenging, and written to help the American Church seek Jesus in the ways she desperately needs to.
3. Fast from something that actually costs you. If it doesn’t hurt a little, it probably won’t heal much. Biblical fasting has never been about punishment, it’s about clarity. When we willingly remove something we rely on, crave, or use to cope, we make space to hear the Lord more clearly. This doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. For some, it may be food. For others, it might be social media, entertainment, or even noise. The point isn’t deprivation for its own sake. The point is dependence. If it doesn’t feel costly, it likely won’t be formative.
4. Disrupt your algorithm. Not everything shaping your mind should be trending. We are being discipled constantly by what we watch, listen to, read, and scroll past every day. In 2026, be intentional about what voices you allow into your life. Seek out good people, good books, good music, and good food. Choose nourishment over noise. You may be surprised how much clarity returns when your inputs change.
5. Let your theology shape your calendar/planner. What you truly believe about God will eventually show up in how you spend your time. If the Lord matters to you, He will appear on your calendar, not just in your beliefs. This might mean scheduling prayer instead of squeezing it in, prioritizing church community, or protecting rest. Our calendars often reveal our real priorities long before our words do.
6. Practice the Sabbath like you mean it. Rest is resistance in a culture that praises hustle and hurry. Sabbath is not simply a day off, but a declaration that the Lord is in control and you are not. Practicing the Sabbath means choosing to stop, delight, and trust that the world will keep spinning without your constant productivity. This may require preparation, saying no, or unlearning guilt. However, the Sabbath reminds us that we are beloved before we are useful.
7. Reorder your loves. Much of the Christian life is not about removing things, but about putting them in their proper place. When our loves are disordered, even good things become burdens. Take time this year to ask what you are loving too much, too little, or out of order. Loving Jesus doesn’t diminish the rest of life, it brings everything else into alignment.
8. Learn how to suffer well. Suffering is not something to rush through, avoid, or over-spiritualize. Scripture teaches us that suffering can produce endurance, character, and hope when we endure it with faith. Learning to suffer well means staying anchored to God even when answers don’t come quickly. It means trusting that God is present and working even when circumstances feel heavy and unresolved.
9. Stop using “season language” to avoid repentance. Some patterns in our lives don’t need patience, they need death. While seasons are real, we can sometimes hide behind the language of “waiting” when what God is asking for is obedience. This year, ask the Lord to show you where repentance, not time, is required. Freedom often begins where excuses end.
10. Listen to our Podcast, “A Few Minutes With The Few” every Monday and Friday! We don’t shy away from the super difficult topics when it comes to Christianity, the American Church, and all the different things we face in life. Click that play button to let us help you get serious about living for Jesus and make some radical choices! LISTEN HERE.
11. Learn one Christian hymn and actually sing it. Out loud. In the car. In the kitchen. The Church has always sung her theology, long before playlists and worship sets. Hymns carry Scripture, doctrine, and history in a way few other practices do. Choose one hymn this year. Learn the words. Sing it in your car, while doing dishes, or on a walk. Let truth settle into your heart through melody.
12. Read Scripture slower than you’re comfortable with. In a world obsessed with speed, slowing down with Scripture is countercultural. Reading slowly allows the Word to read us. Instead of racing to the next chapter, linger with a passage. Ask questions. Sit in silence. Let the Spirit highlight what He wants you to notice. Formation and faithfulness occur when we give Jesus our attention, not just our time.
13. Cook a meal for someone this year, no occasion required. Hospitality doesn’t require perfection, a spotless home, or a reason. Sharing a meal is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to love people well. Invite someone into your ordinary life. Food has a way of opening hearts, building trust, and creating space for genuine connection.
14. Celebrate what God does this year. Remembering is a spiritual discipline too. We are quick to move on and slow to remember. Throughout Scripture, God’s people are constantly instructed to remember, to tell stories, build markers, and recount His faithfulness. Write down answered prayers. Share testimonies with friends. Celebrate small victories. Remembering is not sentimental, it is spiritual.
15. Choose faithfulness over visibility. Much of what God values will never be seen or celebrated publicly. Faithfulness often looks like consistency, obedience, and perseverance when no one is watching. I challenge you to resist the urge to measure your spiritual life by affirmation or attention. God is deeply at work in the quiet places, and He sees what platforms miss.
16. Go on lots of long prayer walks (alone and with others). Prayer doesn’t always have to look like sitting still with folded hands. Walking slows us down and helps us pay attention. Use prayer walks as a way to talk with the Lord honestly, notice creation, and process life with Him. Invite a friend along sometimes. Shared prayer builds deeper community than conversation alone. This is also a great one for couples who are looking to cultivate their spiritual connection!
17. Practice love and compassion in visible ways. Love is not meant to remain abstract. Jesus’ compassion was tangible. He touched, healed, listened, and showed up. Look for opportunities this year to make love visible: check on someone who is struggling, offer help before it’s requested, speak kindness in tense moments. Small, consistent acts of love often carry eternal weight.
18. Create one tech-free rhythm each week. Our attention is one of the most contested spaces of our spiritual lives. Creating a tech-free rhythm, even something small like a meal, an evening, or a morning helps retrain our focus and quiet our minds. Use this time to be present with the Lord, with others, and with yourself. Guarding your attention is not legalism; it’s wisdom.
19. Write handwritten notes to people who’ve shaped your faith. Gratitude forms humility and strengthens community. Take time this year to thank the people who have prayed for you, taught you, encouraged you, or walked with you in hard seasons. Handwritten notes slow us down and make gratitude tangible. You never know how deeply your words might bless someone.
20. Learn to recognize conviction without spiraling into shame. Conviction and shame are not the same. Conviction invites us toward repentance and restoration, while shame pushes us toward hiding and despair. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern the difference. The Lord’s correction is always rooted in love and always leads us back to Him, not away from Him.
21. Make an effort to ask better questions this year. We live in a culture that rushes to answers, opinions, and hot takes. But asking good questions is often more loving than offering quick responses. This year, practice curiosity instead of assumption. Ask people how they’re really doing. Ask why they believe what they believe. Ask God questions in prayer and wait long enough to listen. Better questions lead to deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and greater humility.
22. Eat at the table more often. Slowing down meals cultivates gratitude and presence. Eating at the table without rushing, scrolling, or multitasking creates space for conversation, connection, and awareness. Whether you’re eating alone or with others, let meals become moments of attentiveness rather than another task to get through. Something sacred happens when we choose to slow down and be present in ordinary rhythms.
23. Practice consistency instead of intensity. Spiritual growth is rarely formed through emotional highs or dramatic moments alone. More often, it is shaped by small, faithful practices repeated over time. Reading Scripture even when it feels ordinary. Praying even when it feels quiet. Showing up even when motivation is low. In 2026, resist the pressure to go all-in for a week and burn out by the next. Choose steady faithfulness instead.
24. Stay in community when it’s inconvenient. It’s easy to love community when it’s life-giving and affirming. It’s harder when it requires patience, forgiveness, or sacrifice. However, growth often happens where commitment is tested. This year, choose to stay in church, stay in relationship, stay in conversations when it would be easier to withdraw. God often uses imperfect community to shape us in ways isolation never could.
25. Ask someone how you can pray for them and actually follow up. This is simple, but deeply meaningful. When you ask someone how you can pray for them, take the extra step to follow through. Pray immediately if you can, write it down, and check back in later. Following up communicates care, consistency, and love. It reminds people they are seen and remembered, not just in passing conversation.
26. Live like Jesus is actually worth organizing your entire life around. Not just your Sundays. Not just your beliefs. Your time, your habits, your relationships, your attention, your loves. Following Jesus was never meant to be a side discipline or an add-on to an already full life. As you move through this list in 2026, remember that these practices are not boxes to check or goals to master. They are opportunities meant to lead you closer to the heart of Jesus and into a life marked by faithfulness, joy, and quiet obedience. May this be a year where your life doesn’t just reflect belief in Jesus, but reveals a deep and radical love for Him.

Remember, this list is a collection of invitations: to rest more, to love more, to listen more, and to live more intentionally for Jesus. Some of these practices will stretch you. Some will feel ordinary. All of them are meant to point you toward the One who is faithful, even when we are not.

Our prayer for 2026 is that you would not just check boxes or chase spiritual trends, but that your life would be marked by steady, quiet, courageous faithfulness. May you remember what God has done, participate in what He is doing, and trust Him with what is yet to come. Let this year be a year of formation, obedience, and joy.

Let 2026 be the year Jesus truly shapes the way you live.