Tori Kelly is known best for her successful music career. However, the Grammy award-winning singer expressed that the most important part of her life is her Christian faith. In an interview with the Christian Post, the California native explained how her relationship with God impacts her life.

“Anyone who knows me personally [faith is] a part of who I am. I can’t do what I do, and I feel like God, Jesus, always comes up at some point. It’s been such a part of my life, in my childhood growing up. But then, at a certain point, it became very personal to me.”

As a teenager, Kelly began posting singing videos on her YouTube channel. She then rose to fame after competing on season nine of American Idol. Along with music, faith was always a vital part of her life growing up.

“It’s really just because it’s a part of who I am,” Kelly stated. “It’s not something that I have to force. It just sort of comes out.”

Her relationship with Jesus continued from childhood to the present. The 28-year-old shared that her faith influences every choice she makes in life and how she seeks wisdom from God’s Word to make her decisions. Kelly shared that Psalm 91:4 gives her peace and motivation during challenging times in life. The scripture says, “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

“I just love that visual of having a safe place, having this place of refuge when the world is crazy,” the singer reminisced on the Bible verse. “Just having that kind of peace to know, ‘OK, I can have this quiet time and it’s just me and God, and I can get my head right and my soul right and then kind of go back out and do my thing.’”

Today, Kelly has become one of the most successful artists in the music industry. Her unique voice, talent, and, most importantly, God’s grace have earned her many awards. She has collaborated with secular artists such as Ed Sheeran and Christian artists such as Lecrae.

The award-winning singer is aware of the platform she has and wants to substantially influence the youth generation. Social media can be a positive or negative factor when making impressions on teenagers’ self-image and esteem.

“It’s already hard enough without social media, dealing with comparisons and just life. But then the added pressure of the internet and comparing yourself to things that aren’t always even real,” Kelly emphasized the importance of finding confidence and identity in Christ. “It’s not always even an accurate picture of real life, and we tend to put our best selves out there first.”