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
Faithfulness Over Applause
summary
In this conversation, Austin Gardner reflects on the nature of ministry, emphasizing that true success is measured not by popularity or comfort, but by endurance through suffering and faithfulness to God. He draws insights from 2 Corinthians 6, discussing the contradictions in ministry and the importance of serving God despite challenges. The conversation encourages listeners to focus on their commitment to God rather than seeking validation from others.
takeaways
- The true proof of ministry is what you've gone through.
- Success is measured by endurance, not applause.
- Life is full of contradictions that prove God's work.
- Heaven sees faithfulness where others see failure.
- Endurance through pain shows the world what Jesus looks like.
- You're not living for men's applause, but for God.
- True success involves suffering and perseverance.
- God's spirit works in us to keep us pure and kind.
- Public opinion does not define a servant of God.
- Keep serving God even when the world walks away.
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Is God at work or not? What is happening in all this chaos? I was reading my Bible in Second Corinthians chapter six verses three through ten when this passage of Scripture really spoke to me. Let me read it to you, giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience and afflictions, and necessities, and distresses, and stripes, and imprisonments, and tumults, and labors, and watchings and fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, not faked, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. That's what the Bible's talking about in Second Corinthians chapter six. Maybe a poor reading of it, but there it is. So it set me to thinking, could it be that the true proof of ministry is what you've gone through and suffered more than attendance, popularity, or the respect of your peers? Paul says they are approving themselves as ministers of God. And I want you to look at the list. Before you look at the list, think about what approving means. It means to present or demonstrate oneself as ministers of God, to prove, to show by behavior or conduct, or demonstrating through our lives that we are truly God's servants. And then he lists patience. Patience, they do not quit no matter what happens, afflictions, necessities, distresses, stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, fastings. That's a horrible list of things that the Apostle Paul was suffering and going through. That's not what people expect. They think that the crowds and the fruit determine success. Troubles and trials and temptations are God disciplining us when he's upset. Paul says that's not how God measures success. Success is not comfort or applause, but your willingness to pay the price. Paul likes to bring up what he has had to deal with and still be faithful to God. Look at what I've endured. Others would have quit. They have quit. My sticking in the face of all this junk tells you I am the real deal. Look at the results of all the work that God is doing. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 6 through 7, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left. Paul says God has kept us pure despite the attacks. God is giving us spiritual insights and the endurance to keep serving and to further deepen our kindness. We're not faking our love. We're not here to criticize you. His spirit is at work in us. We keep teaching the truth, and that is God working in us with his powerful spiritual weapons. Paul's not standing in his power. God protects and holds him. The significant contrast that mark a lie, form of the cross, are then mentioned. He says by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying, and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things. Things appear one way, but they are the other. You see failure, but heaven sees the faithful. You see Paul as done, finished, and over, but God sees a servant he's still using. Life is full of contradictions, but these contradictions prove God's work in our lives. You might look successful and not be. You may appear a failure, and the opposite may be true. It can appear that you're successful when you're not. Time to stop measuring the way everyone else does. How faithful are you when it all falls apart? What are the marks, the true marks of God's servants? Not public opinion, not public opinion, but endurance. Success without suffering is shallow. When you can keep loving, serving, and believing through pain, you're showing the world what Jesus looks like. What about you? Will you serve when things don't go the way you want, expect, or even feel you deserve? What will you do when the crowd and even your friends walk away? What happens when the doors close and the world of Christians says you have nothing? You may be tired, you may feel forgotten, but heaven sees you. The one who called you hasn't changed his mind. You're not a failure. I just want to be honest with you. This little meditation, this little thought has really encouraged me today. I want you to look at your life, and I want you to realize you're not living for men's applause. You're not living for what others think. You're here to serve God, and so let's keep up the good work. You are followed by mercy all the days of your life. Thank you so much for listening.
