Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

When someone starts talking differently, we ask, “who have you been listening to?” When someone starts acting differently, we ask, “who have you been hanging around?” When someone begins to change their position, their doctrine, or beliefs, we ask, “who have you been reading,” or “who has been influencing you?”

This is what Paul asked the Galatians. There had obviously been a shift in belief, which led to a change in behavior. When Paul realized this, he didn’t ask “what”, but “who” hath bewitched you. The word bewitched means: To fascinate; to gain an ascendancy over by charms or incantation; or, to cast a spell over. The thing about bewitched people is that, many times they don’t realize that they’re being bewitched. They don’t see that they’ve been “fascinated” or “maligned” by someone until they’re already caught up in it, and they’ve begun to change.

This morning, might we take an honest evaluation of our lives and ask if we’ve allowed ourselves to be bewitched. Maybe we’ve been bewitched by Hollywood entertainment and the corruption that it spews out. Maybe we’ve been bewitched by those who give their lives to materialism instead of eternal investments. Maybe it’s a financial podcast or blog that has gotten our hearts set on “that which will burn”, instead of “on things above”. Maybe it’s another preacher, teacher, or philosiphizer that’s captivating and communicative, as in the Galatians’ case, that’s changing us. Maybe it’s a book, a blog, a sermon, or a Youtube channel that would influence us.

We must be oh, so careful not to be fascinated or caught up with people who would influence us to become something we really don’t want to become. Let’s realize the power of influence. Let’s be careful with the books we read, the sermons we listen to, the media we take in, and the people we’re around. For those we allow to influence us today determine who we are tomorrow.