How can you know if you are being deceived? Oddly, most don’t know at all. They go along their perfect “Christian” life not knowing they are actually following another, different Jesus that the world has created rather than the one true Jesus. Beware of anything that would draw your attention away from Jesus that could be cloaked in the name of spirituality or growth. This is Paul’s message to the Galatians in chapter 1 verse 6. Right out of the gate, Paul rebukes the Galatians when he says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-.” In every other letter to the other churches he give a praise report giving abundant thanks for them and then goes into what they need to work on. To the Galatians, he says a quick “hello” and then slams right into them. He is astonished. In Greek this word means to “wonder in amazement”. Paul is dumbfounded. He can’t understand why they would have strayed and he is letting them know of his utter disappointment. The word word Paul used for “deserting” in Greek means they were not fully deserted but they were just then beginning to turn away. He was trying to stop them before they went too far. How far is too far though and how long did it take for him to write and them to receive his letter? Timing. God’s is perfect. 
It is often too late for some, but for others it isn’t. The reality is that we don’t know a person’s heart. We can’t know if it is too late. We must obediently implore people to change their ways. To turn and trust in Jesus. Do we do this? An honest look at my own life and I would fire myself from my job as an ambassador for Christ on a daily basis. How many souls do I pass by every day that are desperate for the real Truth? How many conversations do I have with good friends where my own embarrassment at their lack of righteousness ends in an awkward laugh rather than a firm but loving rebuke? More than my soul would like to admit. I allow my human flesh to cower in a corner of denial. A prayer for boldness needs to be at the top of my list. A prayer for a broken heart for the lost needs to be at the center of my soul. A prayer for a right and true understanding of the Gospel message which I need to take seriously through Biblical study, meditation, and memorization must be paramount to my ambition in this life.