Speaking during an interview with Fox News Digital, actor Ricky Schroder, 53, spoke about why he has made prayer an integral part of his daily routine. According to Schroder, faith is an incredibly powerful and important way to overcome the problems with a society like ours that, in his view, tells people that they can be gods rather than that they must rely on God.
Schroder is best known for his role in “NYPD Blue” and for his work with the patriotic film non-profit Reel American Heroes Foundation. Schroder has long been a Christian, though perhaps not as well-known of a Hollywood Christian as the more outspoken Mark Wahlberg or Candace Cameron Bure.
In any case, speaking to Fox News Digital about his prayer routine and why it’s so important to him, Schroder said, that it is an important way to stay connected to God. In his words: “I pray a lot. I haven’t always prayed a lot, but I do now. And so I pray multiple times a day just to stay connected, to my creator, to my God.”
Continuing, Schroder added that such a state of being connected to God is more important now than ever because our society is one that tells people that they can be gods, but we should be submitting ourselves to God. He said, “We live in a society that wants to teach people they are gods or that they’re in charge. But when you submit yourself to the true power of God, and keep submitting yourself, it gets easier.”
Schroder then explained what traits and habits are necessary for preserving one’s freedom. Giving the first way to do so, he said, “Think for yourself. Don’t let other people think for you. You know, do your own research. Do your own critical analysis. Don’t trust what people just say.” Continuing, Schroder then returned to speaking about the power of prayer, saying, “Pray. If you believe in the Lord, pray because he gives you clarity.”
Then, getting to the third way to preserve freedom, Schroder commented on the importance of staying in good mental, physical, and spiritual shape, saying, “And, I guess just take care of yourself. Put yourself at the top of the list so your physical, emotional, and spiritual kind of — you’re prepared to face the world. The world can be a challenging, tough place.”
During the interview, Schroder also spoke about maintaining faith while an actor, saying, “Don’t lose sight of the Lord. Because in Hollywood, it’s easy to lose sight of the Lord there.” He continued, “You get tempted by so many things, and temptation can just kind of get you off track. And so, I would say if I could speak to my younger self, it’d be, ‘Read your Bible more.’”
Schroder then explained that he doesn’t think he fit into Hollywood and its culture, saying, “But I never fit in Hollywood. It was never sort of a desire of mine, let’s say. I was put into ‘The Champ’ when I was 7 years old and turned 8, making ‘The Champ.’ And so it’s been an interesting path to go down – when you didn’t make those choices originally.” He added, “Other people made choices for you and put you on a track. But today I make my own choices. And so, that’s why I sort of decided to leave Hollywood, moved back to Colorado, and I still want to tell stories. But a different forum, a different platform.”
Featured image credit: By Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III, U.S. Air Force – http://www.af.mil/News/Photos.aspx?igphoto=2000662890This image was released by the United States Air Force with the ID 081114-F-5040D-1241