Teach Us To Pray: For Our Enemies | Jimmy Carter

Teach Us To Pray: For Our Enemies | Jimmy Carter

From digitalDBC by Dunwoody Baptist Church

May 4, 2026 · 28 min · Season 2024 · Episode 245

About this episode

Pastor Jimmy shares his journey from resentment to understanding Christian grace, emphasizing the importance of loving our enemies.

In Week 4 of the series titled "Teach Us to Pray," Pastor Jimmy shares a vulnerable account of his own spiritual transformation, moving from a place of deep personal resentment toward a college teammate to understanding the radical requirements of Christian grace. Drawing from Luke 6:27–36, Jimmy explains that loving those who mistreat us is not a call to endure abuse, but a mandate to reflect the character of God, who was merciful to us while we were still His enemies. He challenges the congregation to view difficult people through the lens of the "Great Exchange"—remembering that because Christ stands between us and others, our responses should be governed by the grace we have received rather than the hurt we have felt. By sharing the moving story of his former rival Jeremy’s eventually conversion and untimely death, Jimmy emphasizes that a believer’s decision to offer mercy instead of retaliation can quite literally change the trajectory of someone’s eternity.

People in this episode

Guest: Jimmy Carter

Topics covered

  • prayer
  • forgiveness
  • Christian grace
  • spiritual transformation
  • mercy
  • resentment

Keywords

  • prayer
  • enemies
  • Christianity
  • grace
  • forgiveness
  • spiritual growth
  • mercy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Teach Us to Pray, Luke 6:27–36

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