Mark Wahlberg Says His Faith Has Made Him a Better Parent: 'I Pray for the Patience'

Mark Wahlberg doesn’t go a day without saying his prayers.

Although much has been made about the Spenser Confidential actor’s dedication to fitness, faith is the most important part of his daily routine.

“I take two days a week off from the gym now,” Wahlberg, 48, said during a pre-taped interview on Monday’s episode of Today. “I don’t take a day off from getting on my hands and my knees, from reading my prayer book and my daily devotionals.”

In addition to expressing his gratitude for “all of the blessings that have been bestowed on me,” he explains that his daily practice — which can take up to 20 minutes — is a way to ask “for the strength and guidance” to be the best role model, husband and father he can be.

“I pray for the patience,” he adds. “I want to be an example, with my work ethic, with my commitment to my faith, with my commitment to my family. I’ve been put in this position for a reason, it’s not to forget about where I came from. I have to utilize these talents and gifts that have been given to me to help others.”

Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham share daughters Grace Margaret, 10, and Ella Rae, 16, as well as sons Brendan Joseph, 11, and Michael, 13.

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Of course, as children get older, sometimes their parents’ devotion to them can cause his kids to feel a little embarrassed.

While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last week, the actor revealed that during a recent father-daughter dance, Ella refused to cut a rug with him.

“I didn’t get one dance,” he said. “I told her we were gonna do the whole big circle and then I was gonna go off and she said, ‘Dad, if you embarrass me, I will never talk to you again.’ ”

Whalberg previously opened up to PEOPLE about the challenges of being a parent to a teenage daughter.

“It’s tough, but people say that they pass through it and they come back to you,” he said of daughter Ella. “She wants to go be off and doing her thing.”

“[There’s] a lot of attitude, a lot of aggression, a lot of, ‘You’re the worst, you ruin everything!’ ” he added, noting that for the most part, he’s enjoying watching his kids grow up

“My younger daughter is heavy into horses and all that stuff — lots of stuff that keeps her focused and away from boys hopefully until she’s 30, which is great,” he joked.

Spenser Confidential comes out March 6 on Netflix.