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
When Christ Feels At Home In You
summary
In this conversation, Austin Gardner explores the profound themes of Christ's love and the intimate relationship believers can have with Him. He emphasizes the importance of being rooted in love, understanding our identity in Christ, and the transformative power of surrendering to God's love. The discussion highlights how this relationship is not about performance but about experiencing the fullness of God's presence in our lives.
takeaways
- Christ's love is foundational to our identity.
- Being rooted in love allows us to comprehend God's fullness.
- Our relationship with Jesus should be intimate and personal.
- We do not need to earn God's approval; we are already accepted.
- Surrendering to God's love brings peace and security.
- Worship is a natural response to understanding God's love.
- Living in union with Christ transforms our relationships.
- We are not projects in progress; we are God's dwelling place.
- Understanding God's love helps us forgive others.
- Our worth is based on our relationship with God, not our performance.
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As I was reading my Bible today, I began to delve into and dig into this passage of Scripture in Ephesians 3, 17 through 19, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth understanding or passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. And I began a little study and looking things up, and I think the passage is about when the Lord Christ begins to feel at home in us, when we are rooted and grounded in His love that holds us. Paul's prayer is that our relationship with Jesus become more intimate. This biblical truth is more than just information about our relationship. We all want the Lord Jesus to feel at home in our hearts. We are in a living union with Christ in us and us in Christ. We live and move and have our being in Christ. The truth is more than an intellectual concept. Jesus is our life, our way of living, the source of our reality. That transforms every decision and relationship from the inside out. Our goal is to pray and to live in a close, intimate relationship, not just out of duty. We want to feel connected and sense his presence and companionship. We want the ongoing joy and peace that come from the relationship, even in the hardships we all face. We do not have to hold on to, work on, or force this relationship. It is his love poured into us. This relationship is not about religion or rule keeping, but about rest. For Jesus to be fully at home in our hearts, we must trust him and all that he does in our lives. Our foundation is this love and union, not our performance or the pain we experience. We do not need others to approve of us. We can live in security and confidence knowing that we are his beloved. Our value or worth is not based on success or failure, but on our relationship with our Father. Rejection or criticism often wrecked me. I needed security, but looked in all the wrong places. When we know who we are, we can, for the first time, forgive others because we know He totally and completely loves and accepts us. We do not have to work at getting his approval. It is time to send our roots down deep into his love. We become loving because Christ, who is love, is living in us. We can love even when it costs us rather than struggle with those who are so hard to love. It is Christ who lives in and through us, loving others. He is at home in us. We can admit our needs and weaknesses and be real because we understand that Jesus lives in and is comfortable in us. There is no need to feel dry and distant. Just do the habitual devotional. We know who we are. We want to know him better. Asking for big, bold things is possible in prayer. We're getting hold of the deep, deep love of Jesus. Worship springs forth from our hearts. We are no longer stuck in the sin cycle or the fear that so often plagues us. We respond in faith and hope because we know we are rooted and grounded in God Himself. Our hearts have become a home of peace, power, and purpose. Love lives in us. God lives in us, and God and love are transforming us. We want Christ to be at home and comfortable in us. He is central to our lives. He already lives in us. We want him to more than reside, we want him to preside. He will not overpower you or take control, but he is here to be part of our lives. So it is time to surrender the entire house of our hearts. We do that by faith. We trust God our Father to work for the best in our lives at all times. We draw our life and stability from His divine love. Love builds our lives, not law or shame or fear. He loves us with an unchanging, undeserved, and unconditional love. We live in the love of God like a fish lives in water. The love of God is our atmosphere. Love is our source, not what we hope for. Deepen your love, and there will no longer be a need to focus on the fruit. If we live to perform, we live in fear. But if we live in love and grace, then peace takes over. The prayer is that we learn just how much love we live in. This truth is not a doctrinal lesson you want to learn, it's your reality. You want to immerse yourself in it. The love of our Lord Jesus extends everywhere, in every direction. It touches the past, the present, and the future. Pray that God will help you understand how deeply the Father loves you. He loves us far more than we can understand. So we must experience it and trust the grace and union we have with our Father. He created us to love us. He loved us long before we thought of or tried to love Him. No, you can't, nor will you ever understand this sort of love. His love never increases when we're good or decreases when we fail. He loves us. His goal is for us to be saturated with Him. He lives in us, and we have our roots in Him. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory, and that is now, not someday. We are not a project and a progress in progress. We are the very house of God, His dwelling place. Your identity is a God filled child, not just someone trying to be a Christian or live the Christian life. You are not on trial. You are at home, and he is at home in you. Storms can't uproot us. His love keeps us anchored even when our emotions threaten to sink us. He lives in us, even in our messes. The Holy Spirit cleanses us from the inside out. He loves us. He loves through us. We don't earn it. We just wake up and realize the truth. What a savior, what a love. I hope you enjoy meditating and thinking on this passage of Scripture, that Christ may dwell in your hearts. I know he already dwells in our hearts. I knew that before I started. But I wanted to get into why would Paul pray that Christ would dwell in our hearts? And it is that he would be comfortable, that he would feel at home in us, and that we would feel at home in him. And so I pray that that'll be your experience today. God bless you.
