Pop singer Justin Bieber continues to live out his Christian faith, recently taking to social media to encourage his fans to read the popular devotional Jesus Calling.
On Saturday, the 21-year-old "Love Yourself" singer took to Instagram to share a quote from the devotional, which is written by missionary Sarah Young, that includes two Bible verses from Psalms and 1 Corinthians.
Reads the message, "Worship Me only. Whatever occupies your mind the most becomes your god. Worries, if indulged, develop into idols. Anxiety gains a life of its own, parasitically infesting your mind. Break free from this bondage by affirming your trust in Me and refreshing yourself in My presence. What goes on in your mind is invisible, undetectable to other people. But I read your thoughts continually, searching for evidence of trust in Me, I rejoice when your mind turns towards Me. Guard your thoughts diligently; good thought-choices will keep you close to Me. Psalm 112:7; 1 Corinthians 13:11."
The post, which is simply captioned "Happy Saturday," has over 1.1 million likes and thousands of comments, with fans offering prayers and words of encouragement.
"These are just the words I needed. I'm so touched. Thank you Lord. and bless your son, Justin, who is spreading your message," reads one message.
"Thank you Lord. Make Justin Bieber as your instrument," added another.
Over the past year, Bieber has become increasingly vocal about his newfound Christian faith: "I could say it over and over again, I'm changing and doing this with my life," the singer told Complex in a 2015 interview. "At this point, my faith has gotten me to where I am...My faith has brought me to a whole other level. I love talking about my faith. Personally, love Jesus and that was my salvation. I want to share what I'm going through and what I'm feeling, and I think it shouldn't be ostracized."
During a December interview with GQ, Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz opened up about Bieber's dramatic conversion experience, revealing that the singer fell to his knees one day and cried, "I want to know Jesus."
"Suddenly, Justin was overcome by the Gospel, and he said, 'Baptize me,'" reads the report. "And Pastor Carl said, 'Yes, buckaroo...let's do this. Let's schedule a time.' But Justin Bieber couldn't be Justin Bieber for one minute longer. 'No, I want to do it now.' And Pastor Carl saw salvation in Justin's eyes, and knew that his baptism couldn't come quickly enough."
Speaking to the New York Times last month, Bieber's longtime manager, Scooter Braun, revealed that the singer's conversion saved him from a deadly downward spiral.
"As I started to see it going in the wrong direction, I started to prepare. I put deals in place where he was protected for the long run," Braun said of Bieber's troubled past. "And I started to prepare my company to scale, because I was not going to let him work. [After Journals, Bieber's 2013 digital compilation,] he wanted to tour, and I honestly at that time felt, if he toured, he could die."
He added, "It wasn't until something happened that it clicked for him. He made the conscious decision as a young man: 'I need to make a change in my own life'... I'm really, really happy that's over."
