“For once, Justin is not living his life like other people want him to live,” a source tells PEOPLE

Justin Bieber is embracing his age.

As the Canadian pop star celebrates his 25th birthday on Friday, a source tells PEOPLE that Bieber finally has the freedom to live life on his own terms — and he’s loving it.

“For once, Justin is not living his life like other people want him to live,” a Bieber spiritual source tells PEOPLE. “He wears what he wants, does what he wants, just gets to be who he wants. For someone who has been micromanaged for so long, it’s really freeing.”

“From the time he was young, Justin had very little autonomy. Now he does. He is enjoying what other people enjoy when they go to college for the first time and they’re not under the rules of their parents and teachers. It’s just happening later for him,” the source adds.

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As the “Love Yourself” singer begins another year, he’s also focusing on his mental health — and his marriage.

“He’s in a really good place,” the spiritual source adds. “He’s got all the money he will ever need, and he’s starting to really center himself and focus on his future. … Therapy has helped empower him: he’s focusing on the positives, not the negatives. He knows that he’s beginning a new life.”

Bieber, who secretly wed model Hailey Baldwin, 22, in September, has recently been seeking treatment for depression.

“Is everything perfect? No. But he was facing in the wrong direction for so long, and now he’s looking in the right direction,” the insider says. “He’s becoming more committed to his faith. He’s realizing that life isn’t about making yourself happy and running wild, but is about helping people, focusing on God, and bettering yourself.”

In a sweet show of affection, Baldwin honored her husband’s birthday by sharing a shot of the singer and a pal wearing matching custom birthday that read “Bieber 25.”

“#25,” she wrote alongside the picture, which she shared on her Instagram Story.

Bieber also got a shout-out from his longtime manager Scooter Braun.

On Friday, the mega-manager — who discovered the pop star when he was just 12 years old — posted an adorable throwback photo from their early days together.