On August 25, Christians will travel to Stone Mountain Park, but not to worship the mountain. They will pass carved stone images, but not to bow down to them. They will come to celebrate a man, but not to idolize him. They will share the love in his words, but not to glorify him. Instead…

They will worship their heavenly Father and bow down before His son.
They will seek the counsel of His spirit and stand together as one.
This is our hope and prayer.

God has called you to encourage one another as long as it is called Today. That includes everyone attending the OneRace Stone Mountain event.1 But how can you encourage them?

After all, you may live hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. You probably don’t have their email addresses or mobile numbers. Maybe you haven’t sent them a friend request on Facebook, a tweet on Twitter, or a selfie on Instagram. I’ll bet you don’t even know all their names!

Encouragement is far more about God than us.

There’s something important to know here. Encouragement–the kind the Bible talks about–always begins and ends in prayer. Encouragement is not so much about what we say as what we do. It’s standing with someone…sometimes figuratively, but always spiritually.

So we pray for God to take control, for His will to be done, and for Him to be praised and glorified. When all is said and done, God is the one doing the encouraging. We are simply the instruments He uses to reach out to others, to give them courage and help them stand.

And that’s what you can do…now, next week, and especially on August 25. These people are taking a bold step. They are letting others see what it means to be a part of the Family of God, a family that loves each other, cares for each other, and stands with each other…united, not divided.

Pray for God to lead the battle and bring peace.

There will be struggles. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 2

So join us in lifting these people in some serious prayer, asking our heavenly Father to:

* Move through His people,
* Destroy the barriers of hostility,
* Give them peace and harmony,
* Make them united in mind and thought,
* Create one people out of many, and
* Watch over them and keep them safe.

We can do this. We will do this. And we will be One.

Take care & be God’s ,

 

Chuck

 

Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa , an international ministry devoted to sharing God’s encouragement and teaching others how to “encourage one another as long as it is called Today!” He is also an author, speaker, teacher, and encourager. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. You can learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org .

1. For more information, click OneRace/Stone Mountain .
2. Read Ephesians 6:12

Pictures: Banner: One Race Stone Mountain, created by OneRace. (1) One Another, photographer unknown, from https://pastormandi.com.