Open Heaven 29 March 2023

Open Heaven Topic:

WHO DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Memory Verse:

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. – Proverbs 1:10 (KJV)

Bible Reading: 

2 Samuel 13:1-15 (NIV)

Amnon and Tamar

1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.

² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

³ Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

⁴ He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”

Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

⁵ “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”

⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”

⁷ David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.”

⁸ So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.

⁹ Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.
“Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him.

¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.

¹¹ But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”

¹² “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing.

¹³ What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”

¹⁴ But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her.Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”

2 Samuel 13:23-28 (NIV)

Absalom Kills Amnon

²³ Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there.

²⁴ Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”

²⁵ “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.

²⁶ Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”
The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?”

²⁷ But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.

²⁸ Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.”

Open Heaven 29 March 2023 Message

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 fellow 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 fellow’s life first; check how close he is to God because he will only advice you based on his beliefs. Are his 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.

Open Heaven Hymn: 

That Wonderful Name

Open Heaven Point:

Who are you listening to?

Bible in One Year:

1 Samuel 22, 1 Samuel 23, 1 Samuel 24