Justin Bieber has reflected on his past troubles and thanked God for bringing him out of the darkness, saying he believes that "the best is yet to come".
On Instagram, the 23-year-old "Despacito" singer posted two side-by-side images, one, taken recently, the other, a mugshot from a 2014 DUI arrest.
In the caption, he wrote, "I LOVE THIS because it reminds me IM NOT EXACTLY WHERE I WANT TO BE BUT THANK GOD IM NOT WHERE I USED TO BE!! THE BEST IS YET TO COME DO YOU BELIEVE IT?"
In recent years, Bieber has frequently credited his faith for helping him to turn his life around after a string of widely publicized tabloid troubles.
The Canadian singer told GQ magazine: "I feel like that's why I have a relationship with Him, because I need it. I suck by myself. Like, when I'm by myself and I feel like I have nothing to lean on? Terrible. Terrible person."
He added, "If I was doing this on my own, I would constantly be doing things that are, I mean, I still am doing things that are stupid, but it just gives me some sort of hope and something to grasp onto," Bieber said. "A feeling of security, and a feeling of being wanted, and a feeling of being desired, and I feel like we can only get so much of that from a human."
The singer, who counts pastors Carl Lentz and Judah Smith among his friends, has also performed worship songs onstage during his "Purpose" tour, and invited pastors to preach from the stage.
According to The Sun: "Backstage on his Purpose tour, Justin has been sitting down with his opening acts and encouraging them to put Christ before everything. His aim is to convert the people he loves and warn other stars against the evils of the industry."
The report added: "Justin's life changed for the better since he found God and he has been making better decisions now that he has found peace within his faith. After seeing so many other celebs go off the rails, he wants to help his friends find the joy and happiness he has."
The singer has also said he recognizes that he cannot rely on others in the way he can with God.
"I've had people that burned me so many times," Bieber told GQ. "If we invest everything we have in a human, we're gonna get broken."
Instead of worshiping him, however, Bieber has encouraged his fans to worship God, and not to treat him like an idol just because he's a celebrity.
"I just want to get to a place where I just want people to know humans aren't meant to be worshiped. So when a human is being worshiped, this is dangerous," he told the Mirror last February. "It does nothing but give you pride.
"I would really suggest to people, 'Don't put your faith in me.' Because I'm gonna disappoint you every time," he said. "Yeah. It's scary. But I want them to know that I'm not going to be able to solve their problems. I'm not that higher power."
