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<\/source><\/picture>Viral musician Oliver Anthony shared how God radically changed his life and read the Scripture passages that have guided him amid his rapid climb to fame in a recent interview on the “Joe Rogan Experience<\/a>” podcast.<\/p>\n Anthony, who found overnight success with his song \u201cRich Men North Of Richmond,\u201d <\/a>told host Joe Rogan in an Aug. 30 episode that a month before he shot to fame, he\u2019d given his life to the Lord, changing the entire trajectory of his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 31-year-old, whose breakout song is enjoying its second week atop the Billboard Hot 100 albums chart, said his first-ever paid gig was at a North Carolina farmer\u2019s market just a few weeks ago, where Jamey Johnson even showed up to sing \u201cIn Color.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was just so at peace being up there, it just felt like that\u2019s where I was supposed to be. And with all of this it has been [that way]. There\u2019s no way that Chris from six months ago could handle what\u2019s gone on the last two weeks, but I feel so empowered from all of it,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m telling you, like, again, I\u2019m not anybody special and I\u2019m certainly not here to preach to anybody\u2026 but coming from somebody who was just in a really f***ed up place, and I used that word with discretion, but it just describes where I was. That guy found a lot of peace from [the Bible].\u201d<\/p>\n The Farmville, Virginia, native said that he grew up in church and was exposed to religion from a young age, but was turned off by the \u201cpolitics and theatrics\u201d he saw in religion, in general.<\/p>\n Anthony, born Christopher Anthony Lunsford, also opened up about his mental health struggles, revealing he once felt suicide was \u201ceventually going to be my only way out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n His physical health began to suffer from symptoms due to anxiety and depression, and he had shooting pains in his jaw and throughout his body and ended up in the ER, feeling like he was \u201cgoing to die.\u201d<\/p>\n In the midst of his struggles, the songwriter had an encounter with God in his truck and promised to change his ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just felt hopeless, like almost the way a child feels hopeless when you can\u2019t find your parent or something. Like a four-year-old who can\u2019t find his parents, I didn\u2019t have anything left in me.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know, I just decided right then and there, I know I can\u2019t do this anymore, but I know there\u2019s thing I need to do. I just told God, let me do it and I\u2019ll give all this sh*t up. I\u2019ll give up the weed, and I\u2019ll quit getting drunk and I\u2019ll quit being so angry about things\u2026 and I\u2019ll start over again and make Him the focus and not me.\u201d<\/p>\n Once he had a relationship with God, Anthony said his entire outlook changed: \u201cI quit worrying about me, and I started worrying about what it is that I was supposed to do,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt talks in the Bible about being a servant \u2026I gave up my desire and my will and whatever it is that I want to do. It\u2019s about trying to use what I have as a tool.\u201d \u201cWe all sin and we all do stupid things, we\u2019re all just people. Nobody\u2019s special or righteous. People sometimes act like they\u2019re special and righteous, but we\u2019re all just the same thing\u2026 we all serve some master whether we realize it or not, so why not let it be the Master that is above all.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, the artist said he reads the Bible for guidance: \u201cI\u2019m still in the infancy stages in a lot of this,\u201d he admitted, \u201cbut just trying to restructure on a granular level the neuropathways in my brain that have certain habits and thoughts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The artist went on to read Scripture from his Bible, Proverbs 4:20-27,<\/a> sharing a passage that changed his life.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019ll be very brief with this, I promise, but ironically it\u2019s Proverbs 4:20, which I thought you would like\u2026\u2018My son, pay attention to what I say, turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to one\u2019s whole body.<\/p>\n Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free from perversity, keep corrupt talk from from your lips, let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you, give careful thoughts to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil.’\u201d<\/p>\n Rogan replied, \u201cThat\u2019s pretty f***ing profound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole book of Proverbs is like that,\u201d Anthony agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s not preachy, it\u2019s not what you think. It\u2019s good guidance, it\u2019s like good guidance that you would want a father to give to his son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRich Men North Of Richmond,\u201d which includes the lyrics \u201cI wish politicians would look out for miners\/ And not just minors on an island somewhere\/ Lord, we got folks in the street, ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to eat\/ And the obese milkin\u2019 welfare\u201d has garnered praise from many conservatives, including Rogan, Laura Ingraham and Matt Walsh.\u00a0<\/p>\n The song was also discussed by Republican candidates for president during a debate in Milwaukee last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable. It\u2019s a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline,\u201d Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said<\/a> when asked why the song is resonating with so many.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a YouTube video<\/a> last week, Anthony clarified that he doesn\u2019t want his song \u201cweaponized\u201d for political purposes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was funny seeing my song\u2013seeing it at the presidential debate, because it\u2019s like, I wrote that song about those people,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cSo for them to have to sit and listen to that, that cracks me up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat song has nothing to do with Joe Biden, you know?\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot bigger than Joe Biden. That song was written about the people on that stage. And a lot more too, not just them. But definitely them.\u201d<\/p>\n Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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