The Candid Christian

Today in church, one statement stayed with me long after the service ended:

“When you know Him, you will be like Him.”

Not when you try harder. Not when you follow more rules. Not when you impress people, but when you know Him.

That lit a fire inside me.

Knowing God Is the Foundation of Becoming Like Him

Many of us want to live like Christ.

We want to love like Him, forgive like Him, speak like Him, walk like Him.

But here’s the truth: You can’t truly be like someone you don’t know.

Christianity is not about behavior modification, it is about heart transformation. And transformation happens through relationship.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT):

“And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

We don’t change by force. We change by fellowship.

You Become Like Who You Spend Time With

Think about it.

The people we spend time with influence how we talk, think, and react.

The same is true spiritually.

When we spend time with God:

• His peace becomes our peace

• His patience becomes our patience

• His compassion becomes our compassion

• His wisdom becomes our wisdom

We stop struggling to “act Christian” and start living transformed.

Intimacy Before Imitation

So many of us try to imitate Christ without intimacy with Christ.

We focus on rules, appearances, performance, but God is after your heart.

In John 17:3, Jesus says: “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God.”

Knowing God is not about information. It’s about connection.

This Changed How I See My Faith

That simple sentence from church reminded me that: Christianity is not a checklist. It’s a relationship.

God isn’t saying, “Try harder.” He’s saying, “Come closer.”

And when you come closer, you don’t have to force change, it happens naturally.

A Question I’m Asking Myself

Do I want to look like a Christian… or do I want to know Christ?

Because when we truly know Him, everything else follows.

A Short Prayer

Lord, help me to know You deeply — not just know about You. Draw me closer to Your heart. Let my life be transformed by relationship, not religion. As I know You, make me more like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.