It Only Takes One Moment

I shared something recently that I originally taught to a group of high school students at an FCA Bible study this week.

But the more I sat with it, the more I realized:

This isn’t just for students. This is for all of us.

Let me start the same way I started with them.

Have you ever seen everything change in a single moment? Not gradually. Not over time. I mean instantly.

Maybe it was in a game.

Everything is going one way.
Momentum is gone.
It feels like it’s over.

And then—one play.

A turnover.
A shot.
A decision.

And suddenly… Everything shifts.

The energy changes.
The belief changes.
The outcome changes.

We understand that in sports. We understand that in music.

One note off and everyone hears it.
One moment done right and everything comes alive.

Here’s what I’ve been sitting with:

Spiritually, it works the same way. God often uses one moment to start something much bigger than we expected.

Not a perfect plan. Not a perfect person. Not someone who has everything figured out.

Just one moment where someone decides: “God, I’m all in!”

Here’s a verse most of us have heard before. One of those verses that shows up on wall décor at grandma’s house or gets quoted without much thought:

“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” — Joshua 24:15

If you slow down and really look at it, that wasn’t just a statement.

That was a moment.

Joshua stood in front of a group of people and made a decision.

Not based on what everyone else was doing. Not based on what was popular. Not based on what was easy.

He said: “As for me…”

And that moment didn’t just affect him. It set direction for others.

Here’s what I’ve learned in leadership and honestly, just in life:

Most people are waiting.

Waiting for someone else to go first.
Waiting for someone else to take a stand.
Waiting for someone else to live differently.

But movements don’t start when everyone agrees. Movements start when one person decides.

You have more influence in this life than you think!

We tend to associate influence with titles.

Leadership roles.
Platforms.
Visibility.

But that’s not how influence actually works.

Influence shows up in:

• how you treat people
• how you respond under pressure
• how you handle conflict
• how you live when no one is watching

And here’s what’s easy to miss: People are paying attention more than you realize. Not to what you say. But to how you live.

Sometimes the quietest consistency carries the strongest influence.

We have to understand that movements don’t start big.

We like the idea of big moments.

Big decisions.
Big changes.
Big breakthroughs.

But most real movements don’t start that way. They start small.

One decision:

• to pray when you normally wouldn’t
• to respond with patience instead of frustration
• to choose integrity when it costs you something
• to treat someone differently than everyone else does

Those moments don’t feel significant. But they are. Because every big movement is just small moments stacked over time.

History is full of movements started by individuals.

Some for good.
Some for destruction.

And the greatest movement ever started the same way.

Jesus Christ didn’t start with a crowd. He didn’t start with influence. He didn’t start with power.

He started with an invitation: “Follow me.”

A moment…

And a handful of ordinary people said yes. And that moment became a movement that has impacted the entire world.

Here’s why I originally wrote this.

I wanted students to understand that their lives matter more than they think. That they don’t have to wait to make a difference.

But the truth is, that doesn’t stop being true when you become an adult.

If anything, it becomes more real.

Because now:

• your decisions carry more weight
• your influence reaches further
• your consistency matters more

And it’s easy to start thinking: “I’ll take this more seriously later.” Or “I’ll make that change when things settle down.”

But life rarely slows down enough for that moment to feel perfect.

This isn’t about a future version of you. This is about now. Because now the question is: What is God asking you to do in this moment?

It might not feel big. It might not feel dramatic. It might not feel like it matters. But don’t miss this:

It only takes one moment to start something that changes everything.

We tend to think life changes in big, obvious ways. But more often than not, it shifts in small, intentional decisions.

A moment of surrender. A moment of obedience. A moment where you stop waiting and simply say: “God, I’m all in!”

“Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” — Ephesians 5:15–16

Years from now, you might look back and realize: That moment you almost overlooked was the one that changed everything.

Not just Sunday.

Every day.