7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life and Transform Your Future with Benjamin Lundquist - RAL 102

What if your future isn't waiting on one big breakthrough, but on one decision? In this episode Benjamin unpacks seven life-changing decisions that have the power to transform your faith, character, relationships, and purpose. Drawing wisdom from the lives of Moses, Joseph, Esther, David, Daniel, Peter, and other biblical leaders, you'll discover that God often changes our lives one faithful decision at a time. If you've been feeling stuck, searching for clarity, or wondering what God is calling you to in this season, this conversation will encourage and challenge you to take your next step. Because one surrendered decision can change your direction, a new direction can change your future, and a changed future can become your legacy.

Episode Quote: 

"People often overestimate what can happen in a single day and underestimate what can happen through one decision repeated over one thousand days. Your future isn't created in one defining moment. It's built in thousands of ordinary moments that nobody applauds. Here's the truth. Your future is being built by the decisions you're making when nobody is watching."

This episode, like all Rise and Lead Podcast episodes, is highly practical and motivating. Don't forget to subscribe to the Rise and Lead Podcast to ensure you get notified when new episodes release every month.  When you share about the podcast, make sure and tag @benjaminlundquist, and he'll always try and give you a re-post. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now!

Transcript

One Decision Can Shift Everything

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What if God is waiting on us? Because your life isn't built by miracles alone. It's built by decisions. One decision to forgive. One decision to trust. One decision to get healthy. One decision to surrender. One decision.

Welcome And Why Decisions Matter

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Welcome to Rise and Lead. I'm Benjamin Ludquist, and this podcast is all about personal growth and leadership. Thank you for listening and for being a part of our Rise and Lead community. We are a community of leaders who are passionate about growth, leadership, and expanding our impact on the world. What if your future isn't waiting on one big breakthrough? What if it's waiting on one decision? Today we're talking about seven decisions that have the power to change the rest of your life. Decisions that shape your character, strengthen your faith, transform your relationships, and move you closer to the person God created you to be. We'll learn from the lives of Moses, Joseph, Esther, David, Daniel, Peter, and others who discovered that God often changes your life one decision at a time. If you've been feeling stuck, waiting for clarity, or wondering what God is asking of you in this season, I believe this episode is for you because one surrendered decision can change your direction. A new direction can change your future. And a changed future can become your legacy. The Rise and Lead Podcast is designed specifically to motivate and equip you to live your greatest life with maximum impact. We are going to find out what makes great leaders great and how you can start growing yourself, rise, expanding your impact, lead, and living the life you have been created to live. We are stronger together. That's something I'm always coming back to. And I want to personally invite you to be a rise and lead partner in spreading the word about this podcast and all the episodes that will follow, so together we can reach more people. The fact that you give your time and attention to this podcast means more than you know. If these conversations and teachings are helping you grow, find clarity, or feel less alone in the process, one simple way you can help multiply the message is by following the podcast and leaving a rating and review. I'm always shooting for a five-star rating. And if you feel like the podcast deserves five stars, I would greatly appreciate that. It makes a difference and helps the show to find the people who need it most. And if you know someone in your world who is feeling like their life is missing purpose and impact, share this episode with them. And when you share on your socials, make sure you tag me and I'll always try and give you a repost. This podcast is here because of you, and we have reached a hundred and sixty-five countries so far, and I'm deeply grateful to be on this journey with you. All the ratings, reviews, and shares help our team to continue creating a better podcast experience to serve great leaders like you. Our decisions, they matter, and this teaching matters.

Ordinary Faithfulness Builds Your Future

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So we're going to pause and invite God into this moment. Father, thank you for meeting us right where we are. Thank you that our future isn't determined by our past, our fears, or our failures, but by your faithfulness. Give us the courage to make the decision we've been avoiding. Help us trust you before we feel ready, obey you before we have all the answers, and follow you one faithful step at a time. Remind us that you are far more interested in who we are becoming than simply where we are going. Shape our character, strengthen our faith, and align our hearts with your purpose. May today's decision become tomorrow's testimony. Lead us with clarity, fill us with courage, and help us to live every day like we've been sent by you. We trust you with our next step. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I believe this teaching is especially for you, so let's dive in. What if your future isn't waiting on one big breakthrough? What if it's waiting on one decision? We spend so much of our lives waiting, waiting for the opportunity, waiting for confidence, waiting for clarity, waiting for God to move. But what if God is waiting on us? Because your life isn't built by miracles alone, it's built by decisions. One decision to forgive, one decision to trust, one decision to stay, one decision to leave, one decision to get healthy, one decision to surrender, one decision to stop making excuses, one decision can become an entirely different future. Here's what I've learned. People often overestimate what can happen in a single day and underestimate what can happen through one decision repeated over a thousand days. Your future isn't created in one defining moment. It's built in thousands of ordinary moments that nobody applauds. Here's the truth. Your future is being built by the decisions you're making when nobody is watching. Nobody applauds the early mornings. Nobody celebrates the quiet prayers. Nobody posts about choosing integrity. Nobody notices the small acts of obedience, but heaven does, because God does his deepest work in the people who keep showing up in the ordinary moments that feel insignificant at the time, but produce great significance over time. Think about Noah, one day he picked up a hammer. Think about David, one day he walked toward a giant. Think about Esther, one day she walked into a throne room. Think about Peter one day he stepped out of the boat. Think about Jesus one day he carried a cross. History changed because ordinary people made extraordinary decisions. I believe before this episode ends, God may invite you to make one decision that changes the rest of your life. I'm going to teach through the following seven decisions that carry the weight and potential to change everything.

Decide Who Will Define You

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Decision number one, decide who will define you. Decision number two, decide what matters most. Decision number three, decide what you'll say no to. Decision number four, decide who walks beside you. Decision number five, decide which story you'll believe. Decision number six, decide what you'll practice every day. And finally, decision number seven, decide to trust God before you feel ready. Decision number one, decide who will define you. Every decision begins with identity because you'll never consistently outperform the person you believe yourself to be. Let me say that again. You'll never consistently outperform the person you believe yourself to be. Some of you have been trying to change your habits. God wants to change your identity. Some of you have been trying harder. God is inviting you to believe differently. Moses is standing in front of the burning bush and God says, I'm sending you. Moses says, Who am I? Notice something. God never answers Moses' question. Instead, he says, I will be with you because confidence doesn't come from believing in yourself. Confidence comes from believing God is with you. That's the difference. Moses saw an insecure shepherd. God saw the one who would deliver and lead a movement. Gideon saw a farmer hiding in a winepress. God called him a mighty warrior. Simon saw a fisherman. Jesus saw Peter. Abram saw an old man. God saw Abraham. The world labels you by your past. God names you by your purpose. You'll spend your entire life becoming the person you believe God says you are. So here's my question. Whose voice has the microphone in your life? Your critics, your failures, your fears, your father, your family. Because when you know who you are, you stop asking the world for permission to become who God already created you to be.

Decide What Matters Most

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Decision number two. Decide what matters most. One of the greatest dangers in life isn't doing the wrong things. It's doing too many good things. Martha is busy. Mary is present. Martha is distracted. Mary is listening. Jesus doesn't rebuke Martha for serving. He says you are worried about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Did you catch that? The enemy doesn't have to destroy your life. He just distracts it with too many things. The devil can't steal your calling, but he'll gladly distract you from it. Every yes that costs you something, every extra calendar is often fuel for more confusion. Every schedule tells a story. If someone looked at your calendar, would they know what matters most? Let me ask you that again. If someone looked at your calendar, would they know what matters most? Would they see time with God, time with your family, time to become healthier, time to become better, time to prepare, or would they simply see a busy life? Hear my heart when I tell you this. You can climb the ladder of success only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall. Don't confuse activity with assignment. Don't confuse movement with progress. Clarity isn't knowing everything. Clarity is knowing what deserves your very best yes every day. Decision number three, decide what you'll say no

Decide What You Will Say No

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to. Joseph's future wasn't built because he said yes, it was protected because he said no. Potiphar's wife came after him again and again and again. Nobody would have known. Nobody would have posted about it, nobody would have canceled him, but Joseph understood something. Private decisions create public destinies. Integrity isn't what we do when people are watching. Integrity is who we become when no one ever finds out. Joseph Ram. He lost his position, he lost his comfort, he lost his freedom, but he never lost his character. Hear me on this. Sometimes obedience feels like you're losing until years later you realize God was protecting your future. Every no protects your yes. Sometimes the most spiritual word you'll speak this week is no, no to compromise, no to comparison, no to bitterness, no to comfort, no to fear, because your destiny is shaped just as much by the opportunities you decline as the ones you accept.

Decide Who Walks Beside You

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Decision number four, decide who walks beside you. David had Jonathan, and thank God he did, because there are seasons when your faith grows tired, seasons when you forget who you are, seasons when discouragement gets loud. Jonathan didn't simply encourage David. Scripture says he strengthened David's hand in God. Everyone needs someone like that. Someone who reminds you what God said, someone who tells you the truth, someone who refuses to let you settle, someone who calls you or shows up when they've got that gut feeling that something isn't right. Listen carefully. You don't need more followers. You need more people who are willing to tell you the truth. Your future will rise or fall to the level of the voices you continually listen to. Ask yourself who's speaking into your life and whose life are you speaking into? And here's another question. Who are you becoming for someone else? Because healthy people don't just receive encouragement, they become encouragers of other people.

Decide Which Story You Believe

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Decision number five. Decide which story you'll believe. Twelve spies, one promised land, two different stories. Ten came back talking about giants. Joshua and Caleb came back talking about God. Same land, same giants, same report, much different perspective. The greatest battle in your life isn't around you. It's between your ears. It's in your head. It's the battle in your mind. Some of you have been rehearsing a story that God never wrote. I gotta say that again. Some of you have been rehearsing a story that God never wrote. I'm too late. I'll never change. I'm not enough. I've missed my opportunity. I'm broken, and healing is impossible for me. My question is this Who told you that? Because God didn't speak that over your life. The stories you repeat eventually become the life you live. Start repeating truth. God is faithful. God finishes what he starts. God is still opening doors. God is still restoring people. God still uses broken people. God still specializes in impossible situations. Remember this. Every giant in Scripture introduced someone to the next level of their calling. Maybe your giant is actually your invitation. Decision number six.

Decide What You Practice Daily

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Decide what you'll practice every day. Daniel didn't become courageous overnight. He became courageous one prayer at a time, one day at a time, one decision at a time. We admire the lion's den. God admired the prayer closet. We celebrate the miracle. God celebrates the faithfulness that made the miracle possible. Listen, the life you admire is usually built on decisions nobody applauded. Everybody wants the platform. Very few people love the preparation. Everybody wants the blessing. Few embrace the process. Success isn't built in the spotlight. It's built in the shadows. Don't despise ordinary faithfulness. Don't underestimate today's obedience. Today's faithfulness is tomorrow's influence. And finally, decision number seven.

Decide To Trust Before Ready

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Decide to trust God before you feel ready. Peter steps out of the boat. Can you imagine that moment? The wind, the waves, the uncertainty. Peter had no guarantee. Just one word. Come. That's all he needed. Some of you have been waiting for God to show you the whole staircase, and God is asking you to take the next step. Faith isn't a feeling. Faith is a decision that your feelings eventually catch up to. Noah built before rain. Abraham left before directions. Joshua marched before the walls fell. Esther spoke before safety. Peter stepped before certainty. And Jesus went to the cross before Sunday morning. Hear me on this. God has never been looking for the most qualified person in the room. He's looking for the most surrendered person in the room. The person who's willing to take that next step of faith. If you wait until you feel ready, you'll wait forever. Because your breakthrough begins the moment your excuses end. Your next level is hiding behind your next yes. Five years from now, your life won't simply reflect what you wanted. It will reflect what you repeatedly decided. So let me ask you, who will define you? What matters most? What needs a courageous no? Who needs a seat at your table? What story are you believing? What habit are you building? And where is God asking you to trust Him before you feel ready? You don't have to change your whole life today. You just have to make one decision. One surrendered decision, one act of obedience, one faithful step. Because one decision can change your direction. A new direction changes your future, and a changed future becomes your legacy. Don't underestimate today's decision. It may become tomorrow's testimony.

The Host Story Behind The Podcast

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Let me be real with you. I almost didn't launch this podcast because I didn't feel ready. I was sitting alone in a hotel room on a speaking trip, staring at my computer screen, wondering if anyone would ever listen. With more questions than confidence, I took a deep breath and pressed the go live button. I had no idea that simple act of obedience would one day reach listeners in a hundred and sixty-five countries. I had no idea it would become a global community of people searching for hope, purpose, and courage. And I certainly had no idea that years later I would receive a message from someone who said, Your podcast saved my life. You never know what God can do with one step of faith. The opportunities, the impact, and the lives waiting on the other side of your obedience are often far greater than anything you could ever imagine. Maybe today, this moment, isn't about making seven decisions. Maybe it's about making one. One decision you've been putting off, one conversation you've been avoiding, one step of obedience you've been delaying. Don't wait until you feel ready. Don't wait until everything makes sense. Trust God with the next step and let Him take care of the rest. Maybe you're driving home from work. Maybe you're at the gym. Maybe you're out for a walk. Maybe you're sitting in your office wondering what comes next. Maybe you're carrying a burden that no one else knows about. Maybe you're standing at a crossroads praying for clarity and hoping God will show you your next step. If that's you, you don't have to have your entire life figured out. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't need a five-year plan or a decade plan. You just need enough faith to take the next step. God has

One Next Step And Final Charge

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never asked you to carry the weight of your entire future. He simply asks you to trust him with today. So wake up tomorrow and make one good decision. Choose faith over fear. Choose obedience over excuses. Choose integrity over compromise. Choose gratitude over complaining. Choose courage over comfort. Choose God's voice over every other voice competing for your attention. Because those decisions, they don't just change your day, they change who you are becoming. And never forget this the same God who called Noah to build, Abraham to go, Esther to speak, David to fight, Peter to step out of the boat, and Paul to keep going is the same God walking with you today, right now, in this very moment. You are not forgotten. You are not behind. God is still writing your story. So keep showing up, keep trusting, keep becoming. Your best days aren't behind you. They're being built by the decisions you're making today. So walk like God sent you. Lead like God sent you. Love like God sent you. Every single room is an assignment. Every moment is on mission. Every day is a gift. And your life has extraordinary purpose. I hope this episode impacted and inspired you. Send me a DM and let me know. I read every message that comes in. Make sure you screenshot this episode on the seven decisions. Share it with someone and post it to your social media accounts. Don't forget to tag me so I can give you a repost. I know there is someone you know who needs to hear this specific episode. Thank you for sharing, subscribing, and rating the podcast. Seriously, that means the world to me. Look for new episodes to release every month. You won't want to miss those. Thank you for taking the time to invest in yourself. You are worth it. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now.