Amnon Had A Friend by Jerry Jones 

Amnon Had a Friend By Jerry Jones
And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man (II Samuel 13:1-3).
Amnon was a son of King David, a prince of Israel. He fell in love with a girl named Tamar. It is important to keep in mind that this was natural and good. I say that because you are going to be shocked when I tell you that Tamar was also a child of David. Amnon and Tamar were half-brother and sister. Today, of course, we recognize such a relationship between blood kin is not good, and society has prohibited it. And this is right. But long ago, in this place and time it was acceptable. It was not thought in any way bad or even unusual.
To love someone is a normal part of life. Even physical desire is a gift of God. It is intended to be beautiful, to bless us. This physical part of the love between a man and a woman is not dirty or tawdry within marriage; it is beautiful, even holy since it is blessed by God.
But Amnon made a terrible mistake; he lost the battle of the mind. He allowed his desire for Tamar to become something it was never supposed to be. Love, if allowed to become selfish, curses instead of blesses. In Amnon’s case, his love became obsession, and that obsession became lust.
Guard your mind! It is there that the battle for the soul takes place. Whether your temptation is that of Amnon, or something else entirely, guard your mind! It is in your thoughts, in your imagination, in daydreams and fantasies that future actions are sown, and destiny is decided. Amnon became consumed with his desire for Tamar.
But I have to tell you I admire Amnon. Even with his terrible mistake in failing to control his thought life, I admire him for two reasons.
First, Amnon stayed true to his principles. He was David’s son. He had been given good principles he would not abandon. The Bible says he would not touch her, in spite of his out-of-control desires. Let me tell you, I respect kids who live for God today. Here are some statistics I have read: of today’s female teenagers, 19 percent tried cocaine, 70 percent say they have used alcohol, 90 percent say they have experimented with drugs of some form, 40 percent of the boys say the same. The pressures to make the wrong choices are greater than ever. In this world, I admire anyone who serves God.
Sometimes one of the things you hear is that if you want to do something that is wrong, you might as well do it, because the sin is in wanting it in the first place. This just isn’t true. Jesus was tempted, but He was sinless:
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (I Peter 2:21-22).
The victory of the Christian life is not in not being tempted, it is in overcoming temptation by not giving in to it. And this was Amnon’s determination; even though he had lost the battle of the mind, he was determined to not lose the war.
This is the way to overcome, simply don’t give in. Your first line of defense is your mind; guard your mind! But if the enemy breaks through those walls, remember the war is not lost! Just hang on, don’t give in; you can still win.
The second thing I admire about Amnon is that he stayed true to those principles even when it hurt.