In his immensely popular book “7 Habits of Highly Successful People,” author Steven Covey gives one habit that can be particularly helpful in planning for a blessed and productive 2026:
Be proactive, not reactive. If your life seems more influenced by the latest news cycle, social media trend, or you simply give too much time to checking notifications, it’s a sign you are more reactive than proactive in your life. Being proactive means to take agency over your life, your time, and how you live your life in that time. You focus more on being an encourager, influencing others for good, and on creating more than critiquing.
Be a Proactive Witness in 2026
Let me apply this specifically to an area all believers should seek to grow in for the new year: our personal witness. This is an area where we can fall quickly into reactionary mode, speaking up for Jesus only to defend our faith when it is challenged or questioned, rather than following the words of Jesus to be going and making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
What if you quietly prayed for the opportunity to initiate a gospel conversation as a part of your daily morning routine? What if you learned the essential ideas and skills to do so? Would that make a difference in your walk with Christ? And if you are a pastor or church leader, what impact might it have on your church if you were more proactive in encouraging your flock to be witnesses, and to give them guidance in doing this?
Here are some ways to do this:
1. Know the Gospel Essentials and How To Communicate Them.
I have several presentations of the gospel that I memorized over the years. That doesn’t mean that I say what I’ve memorized verbatim when talking to someone, but they give me a platform from which to pull to talk to people about Christ in different circumstances.
Imagine an athlete, say a football player, or a musician, such as a pianist. The football player learns essentials to play the game: the rules, how to block, tackle, catch, and so on. A skilled linebacker never has to stop to think about how to tackle; he has learned it so well it comes naturally. A skilled pianist knows all the notes, major and minor keys, and can read a piece of music far better than a novice who doesn’t know a treble cleft from a whole note. Learning the content doesn’t teach every melody to the musician, but it makes her far more prepared to play it.
There is nothing more important or precious for the Christian than the gospel, the good news we have encountered through Jesus Christ. We can learn more about God and his Word than the essentials of the gospel, but we should not know less than this, both for our own good and to help us invite others to experience Jesus as well.
For example, if someone asked me, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” I can answer them confidently. I will say something like this: “Being a Christian means that God made the world, and he made it good. But we all know something happened because it’s not all good now.”
Of course we call that the fall, but I don’t necessarily use that language with the person I’m talking to, though I will explain how things not being all good comes from the reality that we are all sinners.
Going on, I will say, “And then God sent Jesus into the world,” and describe God’s work through Christ on our behalf, followed by an invitation to respond.
Another example would be the familiar Roman Road, following:
- We are all sinners in need (Romans 3:23).
- There are consequences for sin (Romans 6:23).
- God did something about our sin in Jesus (Romans 5:8).
- We can surrender to Jesus as Lord by faith (Romans 10:1-10, 13).
2. Teach Believers How To Share Christ.
It’s important for pastors to teach congregations a way to share the gospel that believers can use in a moment, including main points they can memorize. There are pastors who take an entire sermon each year to do this, often at the start of the year.
