#38 - Becoming Like Jesus

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Welcome to Mine of Faith Matters. I'm the host,

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Dr. Cory Potter, and today there's a question

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at the center of the Christian life that deserves

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to be named clearly. What is the point of all

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this? Church, prayer, Bible, growth, struggle,

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community, surrender? For many believers, faith

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can slowly turn into a collection of thoughts

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and practices. Are we doing the right thing?

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Are we doing it enough? We attend church. We

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read the Bible. We try to be kind. We work on

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ourselves. We pray when life hurts. We serve

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where we can. And all those things matter. Still

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somewhere along the way it helps to step back

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and ask the deeper purpose behind it all. Last

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season I started by sharing my story and the

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journey that led me to start this podcast that

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combines mental health, faith. This season I

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want to begin by naming the foundation underneath

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everything we talk about here on the podcast.

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Why Christian faith matters. Why it shapes the

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way we think about growth and healing. Why it

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forms the foundation for how we understand mental

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health as believers. To get there we need to

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ask deeper questions. Like, what is God actually

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forming in us? What kind of people is He shaping

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us to become? Scripture, the Bible, gives us

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a clear answer. He is shaping us into people

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who reflect the character of His Son, Jesus.

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At its heart, the Christian life is a daily relationship

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with God. As we grow near to Him, He slowly reshapes

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us into the character of Christ. And our lives

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become a gift to the people around us and a way

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of honoring God. Everything else flows from that.

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In fact, Romans chapter 8 verse 29 says that

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God's plan is to shape us into the image of His

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Son. 1st Peter 221 says, Christ left us. example

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so we would follow in his steps. 2nd Corinthians

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318 describes the Holy Spirit transforming us

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into his image with increasing glory the scripture

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says. Philippians 2 5 calls us to have the same

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mindset as Christ and 1st John 2 6 says that

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anyone who claims to live in him should live

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as Jesus lived. Ephesians 5, 1 and 2 says to

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follow God's example and walk in love. And Galatians

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2 describes a life where Christ lives in us.

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Together these verses reveal a consistent theme.

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God is forming people who reflect the character

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of Jesus. You see, God is not interested in behavior

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management. He wants transformation. And God's

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not in the business of image polishing. He is

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in the business of offering new life and shaping

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us from the inside out. This kind of transformation

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often begins in very ordinary moments. Over the

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years, I've walked with many people who reached

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a point where self -reliance stopped working

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and actually became exhausting. The pressure

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to manage everything, fix everything, and hold

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everything together exhausts us. And in those

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moments, surrender begins to feel less like giving

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up and more like receiving the rest that we're

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supposed to be receiving. from living a life

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like Christ or living in Him. Paul's words say,

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I can no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

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Those begin to make sense. They describe a life

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that is steadier because it is rooted in someone

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greater than our own strength. This is where

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Micah chapter 8 verse 6 gives us a simple picture

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of what this looks like. This verse says, He

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has shown you, O man, what is good. And what

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does the Lord require of you? To act justly,

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to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

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Did you hear that? The heart of that verse is

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relationship. Walk humbly with God. Stay close

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to Him. Let your life move in step with his presence.

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From that relationship, character begins to grow.

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Justice, mercy, humility, and love become natural

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expressions of a life shaped by God. In my work

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and conversations over the years, I've seen that

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people who experience the deepest spiritual growth

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often describe their faith as less like a checklist

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and more like a relationship. They learn to listen,

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learn to slow down, and they learn to trust God.

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The Christian life becomes a daily walk with

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Him. And with that walk over time, something

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changes inside. Scripture calls that sanctification.

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It is the steady work of the Holy Spirit forming

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the character of Christ within us. Galatians

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5 gives us a window into God's shaping work in

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our lives. Here Paul calls it the fruit of the

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Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

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goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self

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-control. These qualities grow in us as we stay

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connected to God. They grow the way that fruit

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grows on a branch that draws life from the vine.

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And Jesus described this in John 15. Abide in

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me, remain in me, stay connected to me. Spiritual

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growth flows from communion, that daily relationship

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with Christ. And that list reads like a portrait

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of Jesus. It also reads like the kind of person

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most of us hope to become. More patient. More

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emotionally steady. Less reactive. More loving.

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Less controlled by impulse. More consistent.

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This growth also involves letting go. or surrender.

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We release the habits that keep us closed off.

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We loosen our grip on control, and we allow God

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and His Spirit to shape our responses, our desires,

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and our ways of relating to others. And these

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shifts show up in daily life. When we cling to

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control, it often makes us anxious. When we focus

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Only on ourselves our thoughts can turn to worry

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when we isolate We can become sad or even more

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numb to the situation of others The gospel the

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good news of Jesus offers a better way of living

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trust connection with God and others openness

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of heart When we let the spirit guide us we are

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becoming the person God made us to be. I've noticed

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that when people start yielding to God in small

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daily ways, their emotional lives become steadier.

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They respond instead of react, or they pause

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before they act. They choose a thoughtful response

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that prevents them from making mistakes that

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could hurt themselves or others. They forgive

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more easily. People that I've talked to say they

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sleep more peacefully and they feel less driven

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by the fear that they had in their lives. Their

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foundation becomes more secure because it is

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rooted in God's presence rather than their own

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effort. This is where faith and mental health

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meet in practical ways. Have you ever thought

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about it? Love helps reduce anger and conflict.

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When we forgive and respond kindly and with gentleness

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our relationships become calmer and healthier.

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Peace and joy help lower our stress. And a heart

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that trusts God and that is faithful to him responds

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to challenges with calm rather than panic. Stress

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and tension decrease. when we rest in his presence.

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Patience strengthens our relationships. Learning

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to wait, listen, and give others space makes

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communication easier and reduces frustration.

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Self -control protects us from making impulsive

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choices. As the spirit shapes our inner life,

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our emotional life becomes healthier and more

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stable. Our relationships deepen. Our decisions

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become wiser. Our presence becomes calmer and

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more life -giving to others. But before I move

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on, I want you to reflect on some of these questions.

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How might growing in love, patience, or self

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-control change the way I handle my relationships?

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Where could joy, gentleness, or faithfulness

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make a difference in my life? In what areas could

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trusting God and letting His Spirit guide me

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reduce stress or anxiety? Before I move to the

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close today, I want to speak to those of you

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who may not identify as Christians. Maybe you're

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listening for the mental health side of the podcast.

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Maybe you're curious about faith. Maybe you're

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still figuring out what you believe. You might

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be wondering why any of this matters for you.

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Every human life is being shaped by something.

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Our habits shape us, our relationships shape

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us, our beliefs shape us. The Christian story

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says God wants to shape you through love and

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relationship with Jesus. If that resonates with

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you, Consider exploring. You could begin with

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something simple. Read one chapter from the Gospel

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of John this week or the Book of Romans. Talk

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to God in your own words. Ask Him to show you

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who He is and to help you recognize the difference

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between His character and the ways people sometimes

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misrepresent Him, which I'm telling you today,

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people misrepresent God. That's how many journeys

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begin though. Not with certainty, but with openness.

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And I'm going to welcome you to take that next

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step. And for those of you who already follow

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Jesus, but you're not clear on the whys behind

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some of it, the invitation remains the same.

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Stay close to Him. Walk with Him. Surrender yourself.

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Give up control daily and you'll see how much

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more relaxed and restful and peaceful your life

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is. Let the Spirit do His quiet work in you.

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So what is the purpose of the Christian life?

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At its heart the Christian life is a daily relationship

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with Jesus. As we grow near to Him, He slowly

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reshapes us into His character and our lives

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become a gift to the people around us. a way

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of honoring God. A life where love grows, where

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mercy becomes natural, where humility deepens,

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where our presence brings peace into the lives

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of those around us. A life where Christ lives

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in us. That's the journey and it unfolds one

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faithful step at a time. That's the basis for

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Mind and Faith Matters. Thanks for spending time

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with me this week. I'm grateful you're here,

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and I'll see you next week on Mind and Faith

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Matters. God bless.