Wednesday June 11th, 2025
« My child, when sinners tempt you, don’t give in »
1 After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2 Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.
4 And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ”
6 Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7 And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9 And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, “Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom.
11 Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
12 But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!
13 And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”
23 And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24 Then Absalom came to the king and said, “Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you.” Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.
26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
27 But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant.”
There is tremendous power in what you allow through your ears into your life.
Believe me honestly, what you listen to has the power to shape your beliefs and actions.
- That is why Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing.
Interestingly, fear also comes by hearing.
What you hear can determine what you become.
This is why you must choose who you listen to carefully.
When you notice that there is someone whose words leave your heart worse than it was before you listened to him or her, please stay away from that person immediately.
- There are many preachers out there who leave holiness out of their messages; please stop listening to them.
Anyone who only talks about prosperity and things that excite the crowd will lead people to hell.
- There are also people around you whose advice you may want to seek from time to time.
Please be careful who you choose to advice you.
In our Bible reading for today, Amnon went to the wrong person for advice; this led to a great crisis in his family and his eventual death (2 Samuel 13:23-29).
While it is good to receive advice – after all, Proverbs 11:14 says in the multitude of counsellors is safety,
you must also be selective of the kind of people you seek counselling from.
Check that individual’s life first; check how close they are to God because they will only advice you based on their beliefs.
Are their beliefs inspired by the word of God or by flesh ?
After we had bought many hectares of land for the Redemption Camp, I was counselled not to buy any more land and to build a fence around what we had purchased. Unfortunately, after listening to these counsellors, I did not check with God before I started building the fence. After a while, God asked me, “Who told you to build a fence? Did I give you a limit to how large the camp should be?” Thank God He spoke, and we continued to expand. Today, the camp has become a city.
Before you take any advice, be sure that it does not contradict the word of God and also ensure it aligns with God’s will for your life.
Application – Who are you listening to?
Author – Bishop Enoch Adejare Adeboye; General Overseer of the RCCG
Posted by Naomie Joseph
Praise and Worship sessions – Evangelist Jemps Benoit ; Minister Paola Médi
Greater understand of the Word of GOD – The Bible show
Freely you received, freely you must give (Math 10:8) , kindly share this devotion, and the Lord will bless you for it.
Spread the love of Christ by clicking on the ♥
