The 46-year-old musician was featured on a Focus on the Family broadcast Monday, where he shared an encounter that occurred over a decade ago and marked a “turning point for his career”, Christian Post reports.

“After a gig, we were on tour with some mainstream acts — very popular acts. We were opening,” Cooper told Focus on the Family.

“And we were just beginning to kind of hit a little bit [in popularity]. This guy, in his defense, he was being very nice. … And he pulled me aside, and he said, ‘John, I want to tell you this because no one else is going to tell you. You guys, I believe, could be the biggest band in the world. … You guys have the look, you’ve got the sound, you’ve got girls in your band. … And you guys also sing about very spiritual things.’ … And he’s saying, people really want spiritual music, and ‘you’ve already got it, you’ve been doing it.'”

“Then he said something else. And this is what got me, and this is what I think is interesting,” Cooper continued during his Focus on the Family broadcast. “He said, ‘But John, think about the good you could do for your faith. If you got rich and famous, think about what you could do for Jesus, if you stop talking about Jesus.'”

Cooper said that phrase was the “turning point” of his career.

“I went to the bus. I told my wife about the conversation. We prayed about it. And it was … almost instantaneous. I know that that is not the Lord. He was trying … to get me to be quiet, and it had the opposite effect.”

You can read the full report here.

Photo: YouTube