“In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 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. Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 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.’ ‘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.”’”—2 Samuel 13:1–5 (NIV)

There’s no gentle way to say this: The world lies to you. It lies when it says, “Follow your heart,” “Live your truth,” or “Love is love.” It lies when it tries to convince you to define morality by desire, identity by emotion, or truth by trends.

Consider this: Where do these messages lead? What happens when you follow these ideological concepts to their logical conclusion?

Amnon happens.

2 Samuel 13:1 opens like a cautionary tale that far too many people skip over. It’s dark, disturbing, and devastating. But it’s also brutally honest about what happens when you open the door to twisted ideologies and call them freedom or love.

The NLT translation says it this way, “Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half-brother, fell desperately in love with her.” Only it wasn’t love—it was lust, obsession, selfishness, and perversion all wrapped up in the disguise of emotional justification. He convinced himself he was in love. And hey, love is love! But here’s the thing: Sin often wears the mask of love to get what it wants.

He wouldn’t even call Tamar his sister—he called her Absalom’s sister to create emotional distance so he could justify crossing a line that should never have been approached, much less obliterated. And who gave him the final push? Jonadab—a crafty, clever, manipulative, and worldly man. The kind of guy who gives advice that sounds good, but it’s laced with poison. This is what happens when we give a foothold to worldly ideology. 

Now, I may get some e-mails about this. I may ruffle some feathers or upset a few. But because I love the Lord, the Word, the church, and you, I must speak truth . . . When “love is love” is taken to its logical conclusion, an environment that breeds all manner of wicked, evil, and deplorable acts is created. It inevitably ends up as pedophilia, incest, and/or polyamory/polygamy. 

You may think I’m being extreme, but consider the story of Pandora’s Box and apply it to the concept of “love is love.” According to the Greek myth, Pandora was the first woman created by the gods. She was given a box/jar and told not to open it. But curiosity got the best of her, and when she opened it, she released all the evils of the world—pain, suffering, disease, war, and more . . . because once certain things are unleashed, you can’t put them back.

Still aren’t sure? Have you heard of “MAPs”? It’s a term some activists, therapists, and academic circles have begun using that means “minor attracted person.” The argument is that the label pedophile is too stigmatizing or judgmental. On the surface, this may appear to be about creating space for treatment and prevention, but in practice, it’s being used to soften and normalize the conversation around pedophilia. It downplays the moral weight and replaces it with therapeutic language. Friends, don’t be deceived: “Love is love” leads to moral collapse.

What happens when you follow your heart, which is “deceitful above all things and beyond cure”? Amnon happens. 

What happens when you seek worldly advice, even from family, and not the counsel of God and His people? Amnon happens. 

What happens when you surround yourself with people like Jonadab? Amnon happens.

So, where does this leave us? The box is now open, so it’s not like we can reverse the clock and put certain destructive ideologies back in. Well, for us as believers, we must ask ourselves . . .

1. Where do we get our truth from? If you’re not building your worldview on Scripture (and not just podcasts, pastors, or popular Christian influencers, but the actual deep mining of the Word of God), you’re going to fall. Don’t outsource your convictions. “Test the spirits.” Do the work. Get in the Word. As a human, you’re a disciple, which is to say you’re being discipled, shaped, influenced, guided, led, formed, molded, etc. I promise, if you don’t actively seek to be discipled by the Holy Spirit, the Word, and the church, the world WILL fill that gap and guide you into devastation.

2. Who has influence in your life? Who’s in your ear? Who’s speaking into your situation, your identity, your relationships? Jonadabs are everywhere—on TikTok, YouTube, TV, in the movies, on the radio, Spotify, news stations, and on Capitol Hill, as well as in your workplace, classes, and neighborhoods. They’re even in your churches and on your Bible apps. If their words don’t align with Scripture, I beg you . . . don’t give them a say in your life! Set hard boundaries or suffer hard consequences. This is not fear-mongering—it’s painful reality that I’ve seen play out too many times.

If you don’t take this seriously, you’ll end up somewhere you never wanted to be. You won’t recognize yourself, and like Amnon, you may end up despising what you’ve become.

Pause: What worldly lies have subtly crept into your thinking? Where have you allowed culture to shape your beliefs more than Christ?

Practice: Get honest about your influences. Make a list of people or sources you allow to shape your mind. Compare it to the truth of Scripture. What needs to change?

Pray: Jesus, as You prayed in the Garden, I want to echo these words as a solemn and humble request, as someone who knows I have no power to do this all on my own. Father, I desire the full measure of joy within me that Your Son Jesus came to gift me. You’ve given me Your Word and the world hates it, hates You, hates Your Son and Your Spirit, and hates me. I’m Yours and not of the world any more than Jesus was of the world. My prayer, like Jesus’, is that You protect me from the evil one in the many schemes, strategies, platforms, and forms he takes on to destroy me. I pray that through the power of Your Holy Spirit, that You’d sanctify me by the truth; Your Word is truth. Help me discern the voices I let in, and give me courage to shut out the ones that seek to lead me astray. Shape my heart by Your Word so it wouldn’t be shaped by the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.