Chad Michael Murray uses religion to avoid "bad situations" in life.

The 43-year-old actor has three children with his wife Sarah Roemer and revealed that it is a "foundation" that is based on his Christianity that gets him and his family through things.

He told Fox News Digital: "I truly believe for us - and this is again what's worked for us - is just having a foundation. You have to have a strong foundation to know that there's consequences for your action in life. And with God, we've been able to really have that.

"We don't walk around living in a bubble by any means. But we very much just love big, love strong. We love everybody. That's how we go through our life every day, just trying to live as we feel we should, right? Through love. And so, by putting God and family first, we tie that all up. It helps us make every other decision that we make in our life."

"It helps keep you out of bad situations. By saying, 'You know what, this probably is not a good idea. Let's not go there.' Right? So I don't end up in places I shouldn't be; we don't end up in places we shouldn't be. We make good decisions."

The 'Merry Gentlemen' star - who has never revealed the identities of his children publicly - explained that his religion comes into all walks of life to help him deal with situations no matter how small.

He said: "It could be something as simple as walking into a grocery store and someone's in a bad, foul mood. The response you could have would be to match that … and then it could become something you don't want to deal with. Or you try to match it with love and all of a sudden the simplest gesture, you know, changes someone's day.

"We put God and family first. That's what we do in this family. And so, if that means I'm not taking a gig, I'm not taking a gig. It's just that simple. … If I have to change course, I change course," he explained. "At the end of the day, none of this is worth doing if I don't get to celebrate it with my family. Period."