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
Change your Focus to Stop the Nightmare
Have you ever found yourself walking through a valley so dark that you wondered if you’d ever make it out? Psalm 23:4 leaps from the page with its familiar promise: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” For many of us, these aren’t just words. They’re a lifeline.
In today’s episode, we discuss how what we focus on shapes everything about how we walk through life’s darkest places. When pain hits, whether from financial troubles, broken relationships, sickness, or even a sense of unworthiness, it’s easy to turn inward and let our thoughts spiral. We listen to the old, accusing voices: “You’ll never get it right.” “You’re too broken.” “Nobody could really love you.” These thoughts can become a prison.
But there’s another way, and David shows us how. Surrounded by enemies, betrayed by family, and staring down real danger, David doesn’t waste time focusing on his failures or fears. Instead, he lifts his eyes to his Shepherd. The first three verses of Psalm 23 are all about who God is: His faithfulness, His care, and His guidance. David’s focus shifts from the darkness around him to the presence that goes with him. That changes everything.
This isn’t about pretending everything is fine or ignoring the hard stuff. It’s about looking straight at the shadows and still holding on to a deeper truth: God is right there with you, right in the middle of the mess. When He’s with you, the valley becomes a place where comfort and even courage can start to grow.
So, what valley are you walking through right now? Maybe your heart feels heavy from a broken relationship, the pressure of unpaid bills, a diagnosis that shook your world, or just that nagging voice that says you’ll never measure up. You’re not walking alone. Today, I want to invite you to turn your eyes just for a moment from all those worries and look to the Shepherd who hasn’t left your side. If you do, you might find, as David did, that the valley isn’t where your story ends.
Listen in for practical encouragement and a simple practice you can try today: instead of letting your thoughts spiral toward fear or shame, fix your gaze on Jesus and watch how His presence brings comfort, hope, and a whole new outlook.
You don’t have to face the valley alone. The Shepherd is with you, and His goodness and mercy are following close behind—even when you can’t see it yet. Let’s discover together how changing our focus changes everything.
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
We have come to one of those verses that just literally jumps off the page Psalm 23, verse 4, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff. They comfort me. Now I want you to notice that if you don't change your focus, you will not be able to stop the nightmare. You're focusing on the wrong thing. You're worried about you and all that is happening, instead of looking to the one who holds it all. That's what's going on in the story here. David should be full of fearful thoughts and doubts and self-accusations. All of that should be attacking him at night, like it does any of us when we're in trouble.
Austin Gardner:Do you ever wonder if you're just a big failure? When was the last time you felt like you didn't measure up or you weren't good enough? You know the thoughts. You know the thoughts that we all have. I'm not good enough. I don't have enough talents. I'll never succeed. Nobody likes me. I'm just a burden. I'm sick. I have cancer. I deal with more health issues than other people do. I'm no longer useful. Why does God still have me here? I'm a failure. I'm not smart enough. I'm too fat, I'm too skinny, I'm too tall, I'm too short, I'm too light, I'm too dark. I don't know that I deserve happiness or success. I mean, look at my past. I'm always messing things up. I'll never find love. I'm worthless. Everyone else is doing better than me. I'm always messing things up. I'll never find love. I'm worthless. Everyone else is doing better than me. I've damaged goods. Those are the thoughts that so often assail us from the devil and from that inner critic that so much hates us.
Austin Gardner:But in Psalm 23, we learn a lesson that will change our lives drastically. If anybody ought to be thinking those thoughts in this moment, it's David. I mean, david is surrounded by his ex-army, his own army, who's led by his son, who hates him. He knows that he's messed up so much in his life. I mean, david knows he's messed up. He failed as a dad and a husband and a friend. He could have done better, but now it was too late, it was all over. He's in great danger. He's hiding out, basically awaiting his execution. Now, this you can know. David knows David. No one needs to remind David of his failures or what the brethren think about him. David feels badly enough. He doesn't need another accuser. God knows David even better than David knows himself.
Austin Gardner:But notice what David does when he's inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and writes Psalms 23. David doesn't talk about David, his circumstances, his needs, his hurts, his failures or anything similar. David talks about God, the great. I Am, yahweh, the loving shepherd. These thoughts flood his mind and soul and he does that by bringing up God in his character, soul. And he does that by bringing up God in his character. Have you noticed?
Austin Gardner:The first three verses are spent talking about God and what God does. David is meditating and focusing on God. He hasn't been focused on David. He hasn't been focused on his failures. He hasn't been focused on what he deserves. He's been focused on God.
Austin Gardner:Have you ever thought that what's wrong in your life is you've got to change your focus if you intend to stop the nightmare. See, david says, as a matter of fact, facts that he brings up in verse four no matter where I am, you are with me. That's true, isn't it? You know that that's Bible. Not important about my situation. God's not concerned. Your situation is not so bad. He'll quit helping you. His rod and staff, they comfort him.
Austin Gardner:David says I will not fear. You turn my worst experiences into banquet tables, god said, or David said. Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he said you refresh me. Basically, david says man, I got it good. Everywhere I go, goodness and mercy are following me. I ain't never leaving God. What if we thought like David when our thoughts came raging into our heads, we look for solutions or someone else to blame, we accuse or we excuse. See, what happens is we stay so man-focused and so me-focused that we are always afraid and hurting. But learn from David.
Austin Gardner:David was Lord-focused, god-focused, shepherd-focused. See, you want to bring your thoughts into captivity to Christ. You want to think on truth, not on the devil, the flesh or what your inner critic desires to tell you. You've got to change the focus to what the Lord's talking about, to what he's teaching us, to what great truths there are here. So once you focus on how much you are loved, in spite of everything, in spite of your failures, it'll change your life. It'll change the way you sleep, it'll change the way you feel.
Austin Gardner:Amazingly, david doesn't mention David at all. David has turned his focus from the circumstances to Christ, from danger to deliverance, from fear to faith and crying to praise, from the situation to the shepherd David is focused on the Lord. That's how you'll change things. That's how you'll change your life. That's how you'll turn things around. That's how you change your focus for today.
Austin Gardner:So today, I don't know what you're going through. I don't know if it's the fact that maybe your children have gone astray, or maybe you're having financial problems, or maybe some friends aren't doing right, or maybe work's not turning out, or maybe the economy I don't know what could have you scared or torn up or worried. But this much I know the focus needs to be on the Lord. If you want victory, turn your focus from you to the Lord. That's not denying reality. That's not saying it's not true. It's simply saying I know God's going to take care of this. It's simply saying God's going to work in my life and bring this about, and that's literally what your goal ought to be right now.
Austin Gardner:So today, would you spend today? If you listen to these podcasts in the morning and I hope you are but if you listen to them at night for the next day, that's great. Just have this thought in mind. I'm not going to focus on me, I'm going to focus on Jesus. I'm going to focus on the Lord, jesus and what he's doing in my life. If you'll change your focus to that, you'll make a massive difference in your life today. So today, I call on you to say the Lord is my shepherd and go all the way down to, even though yay, though I walk through the valley, even though I walk through the most dangerous situations possibly, this much I know he is with me, his rod and staff comfort me, I will not be afraid.
