Followed By Mercy
The Followed By Mercy Podcast
Real Grace, Honest Hope
You might notice a new name and a fresh look, but the heart behind this podcast is the same. After years as the World Evangelism Podcast, I sensed God leading me to a deeper, more personal path centered on His relentless mercy and the kind of honest hope that can reach into every hurting place. That’s why this show is now called Followed By Mercy Podcast. The format may shift, and the tone may be a bit more personal, but my mission hasn’t changed: I still believe the world desperately needs to hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. You are welcome here if you’ve been with me from the beginning or just found us now.
What if God’s love is more personal, stubborn, and relentless than you ever imagined?
Welcome to The Followed By Mercy Podcast, where we get honest about pain, hope, and the kind of grace that finds you right where you are, five days a week. This isn’t about religious performance or church routines. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt worn out, unseen, or unsure if they belong in the story of God’s love. Every conversation is rooted in this reality: God loves you right now, just as you are, and He isn’t giving up on you.
Here’s what you’ll find in every episode:
Experience God’s Relentless Love
Every show starts by reminding you that the Shepherd knows your name, cares about your story, and isn’t offended by your failures or questions. This is personal—it’s about God’s unwavering affection for you.
Find Your Place in His Heart
Once you grasp how fiercely you’re loved, sharing that love with others doesn’t feel forced. It becomes the most natural thing in the world. Real grace overflows.
Prayer That Changes You
We pray together—not just for the world “out there,” but for the battles and hopes you’re carrying right now. These prayers are honest, rooted in Scripture, and meant for hearts that need a gentle touch from the Shepherd.
Discover Your Unique Role
Whether you’re called to go, give, serve, or show kindness in your corner of the world, God’s mercy meets you where you are. You’re not just a bystander. You are His beloved, invited into the story He’s writing.
When life knocks the wind out of you, this is a place to catch your breath. You’ll hear the encouragement that meets you on your hardest days, and your honest questions will be welcomed. No pretending, no heavy-handed advice—just the reminder that your Shepherd is right there with you, walking every step with you, even when you feel like giving up.
Why does this matter? Because some days, it feels like nobody sees you or cares what you’re going through. But the truth is, you have a Shepherd who never takes His eyes off you, lets you slip through the cracks, and never gives up on you. That kind of love can put you back on your feet, and it might be the hope someone else is waiting to see in you, too.
If you’re longing for more than just religious talk—if you want to know you’re not alone and that God’s mercy is following you all the way home, you’re in the right place. Whether you listen in the car, on a walk, or in a quiet moment, let every episode remind you: God’s mercy is after you right now, ready to bring real grace and honest hope.
Subscribe today and join a community to discover what happens when loved people become loving people. The journey’s just beginning, and there’s a place for you here.
Followed By Mercy
From Orphan Mindset to Beloved: The Cure for Everyday Selfishness
What if the self-protection you’ve been practicing is the very thing stealing your peace? From a quiet hotel room in Arequipa, while traveling and staying ahead on upcoming shows, Austin speaks to the listener who feels forgotten, unseen, and tired of fighting alone. Bitterness, he says, can sound like wisdom and look like strength, but it slowly becomes a hidden prison. We call it boundaries, but sometimes it’s fear in disguise.
In this episode, we talk honestly about how selfishness hides in self-pity, in the need to win the last word, and in the quiet resentment of others’ success. Beneath it all lies a deeper lie: If I don’t look out for me, no one will. But grace has a different story. Grace whispers, “Come to Me.” It meets us where striving ends and teaches us the truth that changes everything—you’re not abandoned; you’re beloved.
Austin opens up about learning to be followed by mercy rather than chased by enemies. He invites us to trade scorekeeping for service, entitlement for gratitude, and brittle self-reliance for the steady strength of grace. Together, we explore what it means to live free: where forgiveness becomes a daily decision, long before feelings catch up; where closure belongs to God’s justice; and where hope becomes confident assurance, not wishful thinking.
We talk about the Shepherd who carries us home when we’re too weary to keep walking. We talk about forgiveness that happens again when memories sting, about choosing invisible kindness over control, and about small, repeatable habits—deep listening, quick forgiveness, quiet gratitude—that train the heart to rest instead of react.
You’ll hear about living with the Great I Am today, not just believing He was or will be, but trusting His presence right here, in this moment. We close with a prayer of surrender, a reminder that grace runs deeper than any pit we dig with pride, and that mercy always finds its way to the wounded heart.
If this speaks to you, share it with a friend who’s tired of keeping score and ready to live lighter. Follow the show, leave a review, and help others find the message of mercy that’s been pursuing them all along.
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
This is Followed by Mercy, a podcast that comes to you Monday through Friday. A lot of times I try to keep the podcast relatively short. You know, I figure you listen to it on 1.5 speed. My name is Austin Gardner, and I have learned that I am followed by mercy, that I am being pursued by mercy. I'm not worried about enemies chasing me down. I'm not worried about critics. I'm not worried about attacks. I am rejoicing in the fact that I am following a shepherd, chased by mercy and by grace and the goodness of God on our tail. And that's what's happening to you right now. So I bring you today another miscellaneous, kind of off the topic, but I want to talk to you about selfishness. Are you selfish? And I want you to know that matters a lot more than you think. It's easy to spot selfishness in someone else. You know what I mean. The way people seem to look out for themselves first, ignoring everyone else, but I'm honest. If I'm honest, the real trouble isn't their selfishness. It's mine. The Bible doesn't tip around tiptoe around this. Selfishness is called the root of all kinds of sin. It's a heart condition that seeps in quietly, poisoning our relationship, stealing our peace, and leaving us lonelier than we ever wanted to be. But here's the truth. Every one of us deals with it. I do, you do. Even the most generous people must face their self-centeredness. The question isn't whether you struggle with selfishness. The question is, will you let God heal you? What's it mean to be selfish? Selfishness is that inward pull to prioritize ourselves, regardless of how it affects those around us. Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes it hides behind hurt and fear or even good intentions. It could show up as self-pity, turning pain inward until we can't see anything else. Can't see anyone else. We've become a victim. Sometimes jealousy is insisting on our way or feeling entitled to the last word, the most attention, the comfort we think we deserve. We just want somebody to comfort us. At its core, selfishness is rooted in a lie. The lie is it's up to me to look out for myself because no one else is. No one else will. I had a teacher like that in high school. She used to say, if you don't toot your own horn, it will remain untutored till the day of tutoration. She said that way back in 1970. And I I think that I thought it was foolish sin. And I think it's foolish now. So we want to we want to know it's not just up to us. That's the orphan mentality, the illusion that we're on our own in this world, that our God is distant or disinterested. The essence of sin isn't just breaking the rules, but forgetting who we are and whose we are. We live as if we're abandoned, even though we're beloved. And here's the real gospel. You are not alone. You are not unloved. You're not on your own. You've been brought home, folded into the love of the Father, included in the finished work of Jesus. Everything God has is already yours in Christ. Selfishness is kind of like a worship problem. We chase after things and people and achievements to fill us up. And all the while we miss the only relationship that can satisfy. If we expect life to be fair or people to notice how hard we try, we'll wind up miserable. It will make everyone around us miserable too. Nobody wants to follow someone whose world is only as big as themselves. You can't fix this on your own. Surrender to the Spirit. Let God live his life through you. Why is it that selfishness is so repulsive to us? Here's the irony. Selfishness is easy to spot in others, but hard to recognize in ourselves. What repels them in them is almost invisible when it's hiding inside of us. It's not just ugly, it's lonely. Selfishness turns us inward, makes us defensive, brittle, quick to feel slighted, and almost impossible to truly love or be loved. It closes us off to grace. We fail of the grace of God, and it isolates us from the very connection we crave. What if selfishness is just a sign that we've forgotten the Father's embrace? When we know we're loved, secure, safe, and provided for, the need to grasp, prove, or demand fades. We're free to serve, to listen, to let others shine. When you let the love of God shine in your heart, when you catch on to it, when you understand it, when you feel it, it frees you. The question should be how can I add value here? Not what can I get? Surrender your need to control. Surrender your need to control and instead trust God to meet all your needs. Lighten up a bit. Laugh at yourself. Don't take your failure so seriously because grace is enough for all of us. Now, are you willing to check yourself and see if you're selfish? I got some questions you can answer with a yes or a no. Sign of a selfish test. When was the last time I put my preferences ahead of someone else's, even in small ways? Do I really listen or am I just waiting for my turn to speak? Am I focused on my own wounds or on how others are hurting? When I'm wronged, do I want revenge or restoration? Do I keep a mental list of how others have let me down? Do I give only when it benefits me or puts me in a good light? Is my first response to inconvenience irritation, or do I wonder, how can I serve? Well, do I quietly resent the success of others? Would I do something kind for someone who can't repay me? Am I willing to let someone else have the last word or the last piece of pie? Well, if those questions sting a little bit, that's good. That means you're awake to what's real. God isn't shaming you and I never want to. He's inviting you to trust him with even the messiest parts of your heart. Don't hide your struggles. Confess them. Let them go. And remember that God's not shocked or disappointed. God is not shocked or disappointed. He has already paid the price to bring you home. Now, what's the real problem? It's the inward stuff, you know? What if our real problem is that we're too selfish, but that we don't really believe we're loved or cared for? See, when as long as we feel like spiritual orphans and we're grasping and striving and keeping score, we'll never be free. I've lived a lot of my life like that, I think. But when you realize you're you're already the beloved child, your hands start to relax, your fit defenses drop, and you find yourself loving without trying so hard. Obedience always brings blessings, even if it costs you something in the moment. The smallest acts of service and kindness build a legacy. Remember the finished work of Christ who lost himself so we could be found and filled? It's not about waiting for some grand feeling or a breakthrough. Just do the right thing and do it in God's strength, not yours. He'll meet you there. Some people are just praying God will do it for them, but he wants you to step out in faith and trust him. What's the cure for selfishness? You can't overcome selfishness by trying harder. Again, that's the old orphan story. Prove yourself, do better, be better. That'll last as long as your willpower holds out. The real cure is grace, a union of a miracle of union with Christ. Jesus didn't just teach self-denial, he became our life. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowness of mind that each esteem others better than themselves. Paul goes on, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who was God. He emptied himself for us so we could be filled with all that he is. Christ in you is the hope, the full expectation of glory. When you wake up in the morning, it's not try harder to be better. It's thank you, Lord. I'm one with you. It's live your love through me today, Jesus. The Spirit isn't a distant helper. He's the very life of Jesus, present and active in you. He is empowering you to love, to forgive, to serve, to let go. Growth doesn't just happen. Every day, find one person to encourage, to help, or bless. No strings attached. Begin each day with, Lord, live your life through me. Don't wait for perfect conditions. Just show up for the little things. God honors the ordinary, yes. So how do you recognize and root out the selfishness? Admit it. Don't hide from it. Say, Lord, show me where I'm blind. Shift your focus. Ask around who around me is hurting and how can I bless them? So you get your eyes off yourself. Accept God's hand. You're not meant to fix yourself. You are not meant to fix yourself. You're meant to be loved and let that love overflow. Practice small acts of self-forgetfulness, gratitude, deep listening, quick forgiveness, quiet service. Live for a bigger story. You're part of God's redemption, not just your own comfort. Lead by serving. Influence comes from valuing others above yourself. Surrender daily. Yield to his service. Yield to his spirit. Lord, I give you my plans. I give you my pain today. And laugh a little bit. Lighten up. Laughter and grace soften a heart fast. Corey Tinboom said, and I say it often in my writing, no pit is so deep that he's not deeper still. Selfishness can feel like a pit, but grace is always deeper. God loves you right now where you are, even in your selfishness, but he loves you too much to leave you there. Let the Holy Spirit fill your heart. The more you receive, the more you'll find yourself giving. The less you focus on yourself, the more you'll discover real joy, and the more others will feel the love and freedom of Christ through you. If you're willing, pray with me. Lord, show me where I'm holding on to myself. Thank you that I'm not an orphan fighting for myself, but I am your beloved child. I surrender my life, my pain, my plans, my reputation to you. Jesus, live your life through me today. Let your love overflow to others, and give me the humility to laugh at myself, rest in your grace, and trust you with every ordinary moment. I just hope you'll take the time to think on all this. I've really kind of uploaded a whole bunch on us today about selfishness. And I hope you'll take it to heart. I hope you'll plant it in your life, and I hope you'll work towards it. I want you to know he loves you. I love you, and I really want to help you. I tell you what, he has changed my life. You know, it took a little bit of stripping everything away to get me where I am, but it really has helped. And so I'm excited about what God's doing. Well, I want to thank you for the chance to talk to you. Thank you for following the Followed by Mercy podcast. And I just want to thank you for who you are and what you're doing. Share this with somebody if you enjoy it. If it's been any good to you, share it. Love you. God bless you, and I will talk to you tomorrow, Lord willing.
