Michael Bresciani
Black Friday a symptom of a declining nation
By Michael Bresciani
Shoppers around the nation have braved extreme and dangerous weather conditions to stand outside shopping malls and wait for the doors to open. Some rose at 2 and 3 in the morning and others spent their entire Thanksgiving Day in a line so they will not miss a sale.
In Hoover Alabama an altercation between shoppers broke out in which two people were shot including a twelve year old girl. The gunman was shot dead by police and the shopping went on as scheduled with sales abounding.
Hedonism and materialism are not the only idols being worshipped in the United States, but they are in serious contention for the most worshipped, even juxtaposed against ancient deities from Zeus to Dianna. Americans are spending $717 billion dollars this year to show homage to the gods of materialism.
The following video was in 2017, but it typifies what excited shoppers will do to get a deal. Crowds push each other around, scream and snatch things out of the hands of others in a display of pandemonium that makes our nation look like a pack of hungry neighborhood dogs looking for scraps of food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IB7bOY7F9w
But we are not dogs; we are humans who have long since drifted away from the sound biblical teachings on the wasted time spent pursuing material things. Spiritual pursuits will not get anyone to rise up at 2 in the morning and wait in line. The souls of Americans are void of Godly desires and it is a serious symptom of our deep decline as a nation.
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Ro 14: 17)
Church people arrive late or not at all in our present state of apostasy and indifference to spiritual things and the worship of God. They would not rise early or cross the street to worship the living God. The word worship denotes that we have placed a high value on what is being worshipped, it also indicates the spiritual condition of a nation.
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1John 2: 15)
We are far removed from the day of our founders, pioneers and immigrants who were thankful for small blessings and the freedom to be united as families and communities that could function without interference, oppression and tyranny.
What makes the Black Friday behaviour particularly abhorrent is the fact that it follows a day in which we have chosen to give thanks to God for all we have. In fact, some people don't even take time to thank God before they are off to get more stuff.
Gifts?
Clamoring for material goods even if they are gifts for others has been a windfall for merchants and manufacturers who have become the new leaders of the ecclesiastical church of hedonism in America.
We have failed to recognize that the greatest gift anyone could receive is offered to us without cost and was paid for with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Ro 6: 23)
Michael Bresciani is the editor of American Prophet.org since 2005. The website features the articles and reports of Bresciani along with some of America's best writers and journalists. Millions have read his timely reports and articles in online journals and print publications across the nation and the globe. Visit us at, GAB, https://socialcross.org/amprophet also on Twitter and Facebook
© Michael Bresciani
November 25, 2018
Shoppers around the nation have braved extreme and dangerous weather conditions to stand outside shopping malls and wait for the doors to open. Some rose at 2 and 3 in the morning and others spent their entire Thanksgiving Day in a line so they will not miss a sale.
In Hoover Alabama an altercation between shoppers broke out in which two people were shot including a twelve year old girl. The gunman was shot dead by police and the shopping went on as scheduled with sales abounding.
Hedonism and materialism are not the only idols being worshipped in the United States, but they are in serious contention for the most worshipped, even juxtaposed against ancient deities from Zeus to Dianna. Americans are spending $717 billion dollars this year to show homage to the gods of materialism.
The following video was in 2017, but it typifies what excited shoppers will do to get a deal. Crowds push each other around, scream and snatch things out of the hands of others in a display of pandemonium that makes our nation look like a pack of hungry neighborhood dogs looking for scraps of food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IB7bOY7F9w
But we are not dogs; we are humans who have long since drifted away from the sound biblical teachings on the wasted time spent pursuing material things. Spiritual pursuits will not get anyone to rise up at 2 in the morning and wait in line. The souls of Americans are void of Godly desires and it is a serious symptom of our deep decline as a nation.
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Ro 14: 17)
Church people arrive late or not at all in our present state of apostasy and indifference to spiritual things and the worship of God. They would not rise early or cross the street to worship the living God. The word worship denotes that we have placed a high value on what is being worshipped, it also indicates the spiritual condition of a nation.
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1John 2: 15)
We are far removed from the day of our founders, pioneers and immigrants who were thankful for small blessings and the freedom to be united as families and communities that could function without interference, oppression and tyranny.
What makes the Black Friday behaviour particularly abhorrent is the fact that it follows a day in which we have chosen to give thanks to God for all we have. In fact, some people don't even take time to thank God before they are off to get more stuff.
Gifts?
Clamoring for material goods even if they are gifts for others has been a windfall for merchants and manufacturers who have become the new leaders of the ecclesiastical church of hedonism in America.
We have failed to recognize that the greatest gift anyone could receive is offered to us without cost and was paid for with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Ro 6: 23)
Michael Bresciani is the editor of American Prophet.org since 2005. The website features the articles and reports of Bresciani along with some of America's best writers and journalists. Millions have read his timely reports and articles in online journals and print publications across the nation and the globe. Visit us at, GAB, https://socialcross.org/amprophet also on Twitter and Facebook
© Michael Bresciani
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