Award-winning country star Josh Turner has reflected on viewing his career as a calling from God and shared how his faith compels him to draw a “hard line” regarding the content he includes in his songs.

In an interview with The Christian Post, the 45-year-old “Long Black Train” singer revealed he was raised in the church and with a strong understanding of the Gospel message. At a young age, he felt God calling him to sing country music.

“For most of my life, I’ve been a Christian,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to sing country music, and I’ve been able to incorporate my faith into it.” Though he has a deep personal faith, the married father-of-four said he never wants to be overly “preachy” with others. He simply wants to model Christlike behavior in the way he conducts himself, both personally and professionally.

“I’ve always just tried to allow people to be influenced by the way I carry myself, the way I do things. A lot of it’s what I don’t do. I don’t follow trends, and I don’t fall into certain things a lot of people fall into, and I just tried to let that be kind of my witness and allow my songs to kind of do a lot of the preaching.”

Known for his deep voice and soulful lyrics, Turner is behind many hits, including “Your Man” and “Would You Go With Me.” And while many country songs include lines about cheating, drinking and other vices, the artist said his faith has compelled him to consider the subject matter he sings about carefully. In 2018, he released his faith-based album, I Serve a Savior.

“I’ve always drawn a hard line, even when I did my very first record. I was going around to every publishing company in town looking for songs and writing with different people, and so subject matter was a huge deal to me, and it still is,” he said.

“Once you record a song, it’s out there forever. You don’t get to go back and change it or take it away. So you have to make sure that you truly believe in what that song says and that your family’s going to be proud of it and your fans. If a song ever gets released as a single, it gets even more attention, and it’s all the more reason to make sure it aligns with who I am as a person.”

Last month, Turner’s Christmas special, “King Size Manger,” debuted on UpTV and featured country musician Pat McLaughlin and Rhonda Vincent, along with Turner’s wife and children.

The special included songs from the King Size Manger album, Turner’s first-ever Christmas project, which was released last year. The album features fresh interpretations of the classics and introduces four originals, three of which were written or co-written by Turner.

In an increasingly secular society, Turner encouraged the next generation of Christian artists to refrain from “compromising their beliefs and values” and instead surround themselves with like-minded individuals. Practicing that in his own career, he said, has enabled him to live out the calling God faithfully has placed on his life.