There’s a powerful distinction that often gets lost in modern Christianity—the difference between calling yourself a Christian and actually following Jesus. It’s a distinction that could determine your eternal destiny.

When Jesus Calls, He Says “Follow Me”

Think about the moment Jesus encountered Matthew, the despised tax collector. He didn’t hand him a membership card or invite him to attend services. He simply said, “Follow me.” The same words echoed to Peter, James, and John: “Follow me.”

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus never once commanded anyone to “be a Christian.” That term, when first used, was actually meant as mockery—a way to ridicule those crazy people who followed the teachings of Christ. Yet somehow, over two thousand years, we’ve turned it into a badge we wear without understanding its weight.

The uncomfortable truth is this: being a Christian has become easy. It’s a label anyone can claim. It requires no sacrifice, no change, no radical transformation. But following Jesus? That’s an entirely different matter.

The Problem with Wide Gates

In Matthew 7:13, Jesus warns us: “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction.”

Look around at the religious landscape today. There are thousands of churches, hundreds of denominations, and countless interpretations of what it means to follow God. Some affirm lifestyles the Bible clearly calls sin. Others add traditions that contradict Scripture entirely. Yet they all claim the Christian label.

The gate has become so wide that anyone can walk through while carrying whatever baggage they choose. We’ve watered down the gospel, afraid to offend, desperate to fill our pews. We’ve traded truth for tolerance and holiness for happiness.

But Jesus said the gate is narrow. Not everyone gets through. Not everyone who claims His name actually knows Him.

The Danger of Knowing About Jesus Without Knowing Him

Everyone knows who the President of the United States is, whether they like him or not. But knowing about someone and actually knowing them are vastly different things.

You can know all the Bible stories. You can attend church every Sunday. You can serve on committees, teach Sunday school, and even get baptized—multiple times. None of that guarantees you know Jesus or that He knows you.

The sobering reality comes in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.'”

Read that again. People who prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles—all in Jesus’ name—will be turned away. Why? Because Jesus never knew them.

What Does It Mean to Be Known by Jesus?

Being known by Jesus requires relationship, not religion. It demands surrender, not just Sunday attendance. It calls for transformation, not mere information.

When someone truly encounters Jesus, change is inevitable. You can’t spend time with the Son of God and remain the same. The disciples were uneducated fishermen, but after walking with Jesus, even their enemies had to admit: “These men have been with Jesus.”

Can people tell you’ve been with Jesus? Not because you wear a Christian t-shirt or have a fish symbol on your car. Not because you can quote Scripture or know all the hymns. But because your life has been radically transformed by His presence.

The Will of the Father

So what is God’s will for your life? Why did He leave you on this earth after you encountered Him?

If God’s only purpose was for you to attend church and sing worship songs, He would have taken you to heaven the moment you believed. In heaven, we’ll praise Him for eternity. But He left you here for a reason.

The Bible tells us that people are saved through the preaching of the gospel. God’s will, as Jesus stated clearly, is that none would perish but all would come to repentance. His desire is for the lost to be found, for the broken to be restored, for those walking the broad path to destruction to discover the narrow gate.

That means you have a job to do. You’re here to tell people about Jesus. You’re here to live in such a way that people wonder what makes you different. You’re here to love the unlovable, reach the unreachable, and speak truth even when it’s uncomfortable.

Today Is the Day

You woke up this morning. That means God gave you another day for a purpose. 150,000 people worldwide didn’t make it through the night, but you did. What will you do with this gift?

Today is the day the Lord has made. Not yesterday—that’s gone and can’t be changed. Not tomorrow—it will never actually arrive because when it comes, it will be today. Right now is all you have.

So the question becomes: What are you going to do for Jesus today?

Maybe you need to start by asking yourself the most important question of all: Does Jesus know me? Not “Do I know about Jesus?” but “Does He know me?”

Have you truly surrendered your life to Him? Have you walked through that narrow gate, leaving behind the baggage of sin and self? Or are you just playing church, hoping your Sunday attendance and good deeds will be enough?

The Choice Before You

The gate is narrow. The road is difficult. Following Jesus will cost you something—maybe everything. It might cost you relationships with family members who don’t understand. It might cost you popularity at work. It might mean standing alone when everyone else compromises.

But the alternative is far worse. The broad road looks easy and comfortable. It’s crowded with people who call themselves Christians, who attend services and know all the right words. But it leads to destruction. And at the end of that road, they’ll hear the most terrifying words imaginable: “I never knew you.”

Don’t let that be you.

Choose today to truly follow Jesus. Not just to be a Christian in name, but to be a follower in deed. Walk through the narrow gate. Take up your cross. Die to yourself. Let Him transform you from the inside out.

Because at the end of your life, only one thing will matter: Does Jesus know you?

Life happens in peaks and valleys. Some weeks leave us feeling victorious, while others drag us through canyons of difficulty. But here’s the challenging question: when you’re walking through your valley, are you thanking God for it? That’s where the rubber meets the road in our faith journey.

As we approach seasons of thanksgiving and reflection, we’re often quick to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior and God as our Father. But there’s a third person of the Trinity who has become what many would call a “forgotten friend”—the Holy Spirit.

The Condition of Love

Scripture presents us with a straightforward condition: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Notice the certainty in that statement—not “you might” or “if you feel like it,” but “you will.” This isn’t about earning salvation through works; it’s about the natural overflow of genuine love.

Think about it in human terms. When you truly love someone, you demonstrate that love through action. You don’t just say the words; you show up. You sacrifice. You prioritize. If someone claimed to love you but consistently ignored your requests, dismissed your presence, and lived as though you didn’t exist, would you believe their profession of love?

Many believers today wear Christian t-shirts, carry Bibles, and attend services regularly, yet their lives don’t reflect obedience to Christ’s commands. They’ll walk past someone in need without a second thought. They’ll hoard their leftovers while someone holds a sign saying “will work for food.” They’ll claim to love Jesus while feeding their flesh with entertainment, attitudes, and behaviors that grieve the Holy Spirit.

The truth is uncomfortable but necessary: if we’re not keeping His commandments, we don’t love Him as much as we claim.

The Promise of Another

In John 14:16-17, Jesus makes an incredible promise: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.”

That word “another” is significant. It means “one exactly like the one who’s speaking.” Jesus wasn’t sending a lesser version or a spiritual force. He was sending someone with the same nature, the same power, the same love—the Holy Spirit, who is fully God.

Yet somehow, the church has relegated the Holy Spirit to the background. We study Him like a subject in school rather than getting to know Him as a person. We’re comfortable with Jesus and God the Father, but the Holy Spirit? He’s become the forgotten friend we once knew but pushed aside when we got too busy or too comfortable with religious performance.

The Helper Who Never Leaves

The Holy Spirit was sent as our Helper—not to force us into obedience, but to guide us, teach us, convict us, and reveal truth to us. He’s the answer key to life’s test, confirming God’s will through Scripture, through other believers, and through that still, small voice within.

Unlike earthly relationships that end at death, the Holy Spirit’s presence is forever. When you said “I do” to Jesus, you entered an eternal relationship. The Holy Spirit doesn’t leave when things get hard. He doesn’t abandon you in your darkest moments. He’s there in your tears and your triumphs, in your failures and your victories.

The problem is that we’ve learned to quiet Him. We’ve put Him in our back pocket, muffling His voice so we can do what we want without conviction. We’ve taken the One who saved us and pushed Him aside, unwilling to let Him control our lives.

Feeding the Right Nature

Here’s a fundamental truth: you’re made up of two parts—flesh and spirit. The one you feed the most will grow the most.

If you feed your flesh with worldly entertainment, toxic relationships, and self-centered pursuits, your flesh will dominate. The Holy Spirit will still be present, but you won’t hear Him over the noise of your fleshly desires.

But if you feed your spirit—through Scripture, worship, fellowship, prayer, and obedience—the Holy Spirit will grow stronger in your life. He’ll take control not by force, but because you’ve relinquished control to Him.

Your eye gates and ear gates matter. What you watch and what you listen to feeds one nature or the other. The world understands this principle even if the church has forgotten it. That’s why secular culture works so hard to infiltrate entertainment with messages that feed the flesh, especially targeting children.

The Spirit of Truth

The Holy Spirit will never contradict Scripture. Ever. He is the Spirit of truth, and truth doesn’t change based on feelings or circumstances.

When someone claims “the Holy Spirit told me” to do something that dishonors parents, breaks biblical commands, or contradicts God’s character, you can be certain it wasn’t the Holy Spirit speaking. Test the spirits. Know the Word. The enemy also whispers, but his voice will never align with Scripture.

The world cannot understand the Holy Spirit because they don’t know Him. To them, the idea of Someone living inside you, guiding your decisions and transforming your character, is foolishness. But you know Him—or at least, you should.

Rekindling the Friendship

Today is a good day to restart your friendship with the Holy Spirit. Stop treating Him like an “it” or a force. He’s a Person—the third person of the Trinity, fully God, deserving of your reverence, attention, and obedience.

Stop dismissing His promptings as indigestion or feelings. Start listening. Start obeying. Start allowing Him to control more of your life.

The church doesn’t need more programs or better performances. It needs believers who are so filled with the Holy Spirit that Jesus overflows from their lives naturally. It needs disciples who do life together, feeding the spirit man instead of the flesh.

Jesus is coming back soon. The signs are all around us. When He returns, will He find you walking in step with the Holy Spirit, or will you be one of the many who claimed to know Him but lived as though He didn’t exist?

Your forgotten friend is waiting. He’s been there all along, patient and gentle, ready to help you become everything God created you to be. The question is: will you finally let Him?

Time has a peculiar way of slipping through our fingers. One moment we’re changing diapers and buying hoodies that are too big, and the next, those same children have outgrown everything we bought just months ago. We look back and wonder where the years went, wishing we had spent more time doing this or that, wishing we had gathered more with fellow believers, wishing we had been more intentional with the moments God gave us.

The apostle Paul understood this reality when he penned his letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 5, verses 15-18, he delivers a sobering reminder: “Pay careful attention then to how you live—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Living Carefully in Dangerous Days

We live in a world where the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Notice—he’s like a lion, not actually a lion. But his intent remains singular and focused: to destroy anything important to God. And what’s important to God? Family. Faith. The church. You.

This reality demands that we live carefully. Not fearfully, but cautiously—like special forces operatives who seem fearless yet meticulously prepare for every mission. We must be careful in what we watch, what we listen to, what we say, and where we go. The enemy has plans, and we need to be wise enough not to walk blindly into his traps.

Consider how the church has compromised over the years. We’ve allowed things to creep in that would have been unthinkable to previous generations. What was once considered an abomination has become a celebration, demanding not just tolerance but participation and affirmation. We’ve remained silent when we should have spoken up, afraid of being canceled, afraid of losing people, afraid of being labeled.

But here’s the truth: someone is always watching you. If you’re a follower of Christ, you may be the only Bible some people ever read. And frankly, some of our Bibles aren’t telling a very good story.

The Bible People Read When They Look at You

Think about your daily life. When someone cuts you off in traffic and you respond with anger—what Bible are they reading? When you’re rude to the cashier because your order is taking too long—what message does that send? When you gossip about fellow believers or refuse to forgive over trivial matters—what gospel are you preaching?

The days are evil, and people are watching to see if what we claim to believe actually makes a difference in how we live. They’re watching to see if this Jesus we talk about on Sunday actually shows up in our lives on Monday through Saturday.

Living wisely means understanding that tomorrow isn’t promised. We can’t afford to waste today being petty, holding grudges, or sitting on the sidelines while the world burns. We need to redeem the time—to buy back the moments we’ve wasted and invest them in what matters eternally.

Understanding God’s Will

Many believers waste years asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” while doing absolutely nothing. They sit around waiting for a divine revelation, a burning bush experience, or an angelic visitation to tell them their purpose.

But here’s a revolutionary thought: just start doing something. Anything. Clean the church bathrooms. Be kind to the grocery store clerk. Visit the lonely. Feed the hungry. Give to those who can never repay you.

God’s will isn’t primarily about where you are but about who you’re becoming. Are you being transformed into the image of Christ? Are you growing in love, patience, kindness, and self-control? That’s God’s will.

The Bible makes clear that God wishes none would perish but all would come to repentance. He wants you to have the mind of Christ. Romans 8:29 tells us that we’re predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. That’s the will of God—your transformation, not your location.

When you start moving, when you start serving, when you start giving—that’s when God can direct your steps. You can’t steer a parked car. Get moving, and let Him guide you as you go.

Drunk on the Holy Spirit

Paul’s instruction not to get drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit is often misunderstood. He’s not necessarily forbidding all alcohol consumption; he’s warning against drunkenness and calling for something far better—being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

When someone is drunk on alcohol, they do things they would never do sober. The substance controls them. Similarly, when we’re “drunk” on the Holy Spirit, He controls us to the point where we do things we’d never do on our own. We forgive the unforgivable. We love the unlovable. We give sacrificially. We speak truth boldly. We serve humbly.

Here’s the reality: when you got saved, you received all the Holy Spirit you’re ever going to get. Being filled with the Spirit isn’t about getting more of Him; it’s about Him getting more of you. It’s about surrender, about letting Him dictate your actions, your words, your priorities.

How much control are you willing to give Him? It’s ironic that many of us who once willingly surrendered control to alcohol, pornography, or other addictions now struggle to surrender control to the One who loves us most and wants what’s best for us.

The Power of Gratitude in Suffering

Ephesians 5:20 calls us to give “thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Everything? Even the hard things?

Yes, even the hard things.

When was the last time you thanked God for something bad in your life? We readily thank Him for blessings, but thanking Him for trials requires a different level of faith. Yet Scripture promises that trials produce endurance, endurance produces character, and character shapes who we are.

Sometimes the worst things that happen to us become the very things God uses to bring us to where we need to be. The painful childhood. The broken relationship. The failed business. The health crisis. Looking back, we can often see how God was working even in the darkness, shaping us, preparing us, drawing us closer to Him.

Living as Family

The final instruction in this passage is perhaps the most challenging: “submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.” This requires that we actually know one another, spend time together, and work through our differences.

The modern church has become like a Sunday morning social club where we show up, sing a few songs, hear a message, and scatter. We don’t know each other’s struggles. We don’t bear one another’s burdens. When someone leaves the fellowship, we treat it like a divorce and stop communicating entirely.

But if we’re going to survive the persecution that’s coming—and it is coming—we need to function as a family. Not a dysfunctional family that gathers out of obligation, but a healthy family bound together by the blood of Jesus.

This means going out to eat together. Serving together. Praying together. Being there for each other in crisis. Getting past the petty disagreements and personality clashes that the enemy uses to divide us.

The Urgency of Now

Time is ticking. The world is getting darker. The church is under attack. But we have today. We have this moment. We can choose right now to live differently, to love more deeply, to serve more sacrificially, to speak truth more boldly.

Don’t wait for tomorrow to do what God is calling you to do today. Don’t waste another moment on bitterness, pride, or fear. Redeem the time. Live wisely. Be controlled by the Spirit. Give thanks in all circumstances. Submit to one another in love.

The days are evil, but the light of Christ in you can pierce the darkness. The question is: will you let it shine?