Check your Bible.  Does it say, "Be ye therefore followers of God," or does it use the word "imitators" in place of "followers"?  There is a big difference between an imitator and a follower.  Who is the biggest imitator of God? Satan, of course.  He will never be a follower of God.  "Imitator" and "follower" are not the same word.  What's going on here?

Is your Bible  translated from the right Greek text?  95% of all the Greek texts agree with each other, and 5% of them don't.  Guess which ones the modern translators have used to translate the scriptures ever since the King James Bible was published?  Yep, the 5% of texts that don't agree. 

We are to be followers of God.  But in order to follow Christ we must have his instructions!  Don't settle for imitation instructions.