Ben is a powerful speaker whom I am looking forward to having back at River Valley Church. He deeply ministered to my congregation across 11 campuses with 9,000 weekly attendees. I am proud to partner with Ben and his mission to the military. You won't regret bringing him to your church!
Ben Peterson
Combat Veteran, Author, Speaker, Founder
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Ben Peterson
Biography
Ben Peterson is the driving force behind Engage Your Destiny—one of the most impactful movements bringing the Gospel to the U.S. military.
Ben served in Iraq during the 2008–2009 Surge as a Chaplain’s Assistant—both bodyguard and ministry support—where he lost seven brothers in his first week in combat. Carrying trauma, addiction, and deep brokenness, he turned to God and emerged with a mission: to help transform the most powerful fighting force in the world through the hope of Christ.
Engage Your Destiny is rapidly expanding across the military and influencing lives internationally.
In 2022, Ben launched the Heroes Honor Festival, a historic “welcome home” event for Vietnam Veterans. It featured Toby Keith, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Oliver North, and partnerships with Toyota, The American Legion, Harley-Davidson, Humana, NASCAR, and Fox Nation—drawing more than 40,000 attendees. It became the largest Gospel outreach to veterans in American history.
Over the last decade, more than 300,000 service members, veterans, and families have heard Ben’s message. He has been trusted to train and speak across elite units including the 101st Airborne, 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups, the 75th Ranger Battalion, Navy SEALs, Recon Marines, Space Force, the 11th Arctic Airborne, and the 4th Infantry Division.
Ben’s passion is raising, equipping, and leading men that other men will follow.
He has personally raised over $14 million for nonprofit causes and advises nonprofits, companies, churches, and senior leaders on building cultures of emotional intelligence, resilience, and bold vulnerability.
As one Fortune 500 Founder & CEO said:
“Ben is on a mission. His passion is contagious. He is the best speaker I’ve ever worked with.”
Ben Peterson
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Current: Speaking Reel
Time 01:33
Ben Peterson
Featured Keynote Programs
From Death to Life
In this powerful message, Ben tells the raw story of combat loss, trauma, suicide bombers, losing close friends, and reaching the absolute end of himself. Only Jesus could pull him out—and He did.
At 3 a.m., a single phone call from his mentor planted a vision in Ben’s heart:
If you trust God, He will use your pain to change the world.
Ben walks listeners through the journey from collapse to resurrection—how God turned combat trauma, addiction, and even $1.8 million in debt into a testimony of redemption, resilience, and purpose.
This message breaks through isolation, shame, and hopelessness. It reaches hardened hearts and shows them the healing, identity, and destiny that only come through Christ.
If God can do it for Ben, He can do it for anyone.
Becoming a Warrior for Christ
A keynote built for men.
To heal families, you must heal men. To heal men, you must heal their souls.
Ben takes men deep into the wounds, lies, and vows formed through trauma and life experience—barriers that keep them from living fully surrendered to Christ and stepping into true destiny.
He leads men through a clear, practical framework:
Have I answered the question: Am I enough?
What wound became a stronghold?
What lie did I believe?
What vow did I make?
What mask did I put on to survive?
Ben then teaches a step-by-step process of healing, forgiveness, surrender, and purpose—equipping men to become Warriors for Christ and unlocking the calling God has placed on their lives.
This keynote consistently brings transformation and clarity to men’s groups, retreats, and leadership gatherings.
A Call to Build & War
A culture-shaping keynote for the moment America is in.
The death of Charlie Kirk sent shockwaves through the nation and forced many to their knees, seeking God for what comes next.
Ben brings clarity to the cultural moment by explaining the Pendulum Theory—showing that we are living in a time where the greatest evil and the greatest good stand side by side. This is a generation where believers must rise.
Through the story of Nehemiah, Ben paints a direct picture of the call on the church today:
Build with one hand.
War with the other.
“The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.” —Nehemiah 4:18
This keynote calls believers to humility, repentance, spiritual readiness, and bold action. Ben leads the audience into personal reflection to identify:
the battle they are called to fight,
the weapon God has given them, and
the assignment they must accomplish.
This message rallies the church to stand firm, build God’s Kingdom, and fight spiritual battles with conviction and courage.
Ben Peterson
Featured Book
Engage Your Destiny: Practical Ways to Run After Your God-Given Purpose
by Ben Peterson
From Ben Peterson, the combat veteran and founder of the non-profit Engage Your Destiny comes a bold debut forged from Peterson's own story of spiritual resilience and hard-earned wisdom. Engage Your Destiny invites readers to walk with God and uncover practical action steps to fulfill their own God-given purpose.
Daring and vulnerable, Engage Your Destiny connects to the unseen aches and desires of the human heart to overcome our struggles and live out our dreams. Peterson fearlessly shares his own stories of pain, trauma, abuse, and addiction with readers. His honest insight and powerful stories display how God can break through to even the most unlikely corners of a person's life. Since his own recovery from a personal low point in his life, Peterson's life's passion has been to testify to what is possible when you walk closely with God.
Engage Your Destiny dives deep into hard topics, showing readers how God continuously shows up in even the most difficult of circumstances when people allow Him to lead their lives. From mundane everyday tasks to life's mountain highs and valley lows, each chapter takes readers moment-by-moment through a story of God showing up in impossible ways. Interspersed within are tangible action steps, helping readers to reflect on these stories thoughtfully and infuse practical applications into their personal journeys.
Peterson outlines effective ways to:
- Confront adversity with courage
- Identify the brokenness in your heart
- Find healing in a way that is both fun and inspirational
- Walk closely with God towards fulfilling your dreams
- Fully engage your God-given destiny
Engage Your Destiny powerfully illustrates that no matter what you're going through, God's destiny for your life is within reach, and you have the ability to embrace it.
Praise for Engage Your Destiny
"Engage Your Destiny is a tale of resilience and redemption. Ben's account of facing bankruptcy, shattered dreams, and the brink of despair before discovering his true purpose will leave you inspired to navigate your own journey toward fulfillment and destiny.”
—Mark Batterson, NYT bestselling author of The Circle Maker and Lead Pastor at National Community Church
“Engage Your Destiny is the best book I have found on how to practically live out the destiny God has for your life. Through all my years in Special Operations, I have seen so many young people struggle with finding their God-Given purpose. This book will guide your life like no other!"
—LTG (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, US Army
Ben Peterson
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