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
Ephesians 1: How God Makes Us Holy, Not How We Make Ourselves Holy
What if everything you thought about holiness was backwards? What if, instead of working hard to become holy enough for God, you discovered He has already made you holy?
In this episode, David Gardner joins us for a powerful conversation through Ephesians 1. Together, we uncover the life-changing truth that holiness isn’t earned by performance but given as a gift in Christ. From being blessed with every spiritual blessing, to being adopted as sons and daughters, to being accepted in the Beloved, Paul’s words reveal the depth of God’s grace and the freedom of living from identity rather than for it.
David reminds us that God’s holiness comes before we practice holiness. He chose us to be holy and blameless before Him in love. That means we live holy lives not to earn His favor but as a natural response to His goodness.
This shift changes everything. We’re not striving for approval, but resting in the approval God has already given us. Like children reflecting the traits of their Father, we grow in Christ because of who we already are in Him.
If you’re ready to step out of the exhausting cycle of religious performance and into the joy of grace, this conversation will encourage and refresh you. Share this message with someone who needs to know: holiness is not a goal you strive for, it’s a gift you’ve already received in Christ.
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
I am very excited today to come back to you on, followed by Mercy, because I am joined by David Gardner. David is our youngest son, a man of God that has been greatly used of God, and the Lord has taught him, like he's teaching me far more I think I need far more learning on this than anybody, but he's teaching him about the grace and mercy and the love and the kindness of our God, and so anytime I can get him in here, we're going to have him in to discuss things with us and to go over them. And so we're in Ephesians, chapter one, as you know. And so, david, you might want to give a greeting or whatever, and what part would you like to jump into?
David Gardner:Oh well, hello. I always enjoy Paul's epistles and how he always takes not always, but almost every time he takes the first chapter, the first two chapters, first three, four, sometimes to just talk about your identity and what that means and how. That's what shapes you, that's what forms you. I was just looking over the passage a little bit before we started, and in verse four he says that he's chosen us, that we should be holy and blameless, holy and without blame before Him in love. And then you know colon, and it continues through, you know verse 5, 6, just talking about all of the things, not that we have to do for Him, but all of the things that he has basically put at our disposal and made us so that we can live holy and blameless.
David Gardner:I think it's very interesting that even when you talk about holiness, people, there's always an expectation. You need to be more holy and so there's an expectation on me. But when you're looking at verse 5 and 6, he talks about he's predestined us to be adopted. It's his good pleasure, of his will, you know, it's the glory of his grace that we are accepted by him. Verse seven we've got redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins. And, funny, he ends the verse, you know, 7, according to the riches of His grace, and so it's all these things that he pours on us, and so it's almost a it's not a given, but it's an assumption that we would live holy. It is an assumption that we would, you know, live for Him, for all the great things that he's done toward us.
Austin Gardner:It was really exciting. I've mentioned this in a prior podcast, but the studies show that 90% to 95% of Ephesians is not correction, it is motivational instruction, and only 5% to 10% is correction. It is motivational instruction and only five to 10% is correction. And even the corrections are light because it is about who we are in Christ and that idea of being holy there more than anything means separated unto God. But see, he did that. He made us holy. Now we're going to live holy. We're going to live holy.
Austin Gardner:It's really like this when the husband makes the woman his wife, she's his wife, she's holy, and things that are holy are separated unto God, and so we belong to God. And all that's done in Jesus. It says according, as it shows us in Him that we should be holy and without blame before Him. See, he's the one that makes us without blame. No, there's not one Christian, the greatest Christians we know on the planet right now. No one lives without blame. It's an unfair statement, but I do, and you do, because we do it, because where's our blame? Our blame's? On Jesus. He took our blame and he made us holy. And it's not about what I'm doing. See, in all of this, especially Ephesians 1, all 1 through 3, but the whole book is about what God's doing in us. I'm glad you see that. That's what I see. I think it goes back to verse 3. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
David Gardner:Yeah Well, just going over the verses before we got started, it almost seems like hyperbole. It's too good to be true. It's too good. It's exaggerated, it is too good. I think it is too good. He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings, not some spiritual blessings, but all spiritual blessings. But not just spiritual blessings, but in heavenly places. Not just in heavenly places, but in Christ. And it's in Christ because he's chosen us, so it's not like we snuck in there. He came and found us. He came and found us. He chose us in him. He wanted us Right and he's chosen us that we'd live at holy and blameless. He's basically set the table.
Austin Gardner:He pulled us out of that mess. It's putting you on a new path.
David Gardner:Yeah, I mean going to verse five. He's predestined us to the adoption of children and it's like okay, so now we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ, which I still can't wrap my head around, that that I'm not only an heir of God, so he's going to give me a certain inheritance, but that I'm a co-heir with Christ, meaning that all that belongs to him belongs to me, because I'm in him and I'm one with him.
Austin Gardner:You know that adoption, that is the day that God takes you in front of all of heaven and all of creation and everything, every need is bowed to him and sends you up and says this is David Gardner. Yeah, he's my son, on the equal setting, an equal plane with Jesus. Yeah, and everything I gave Jesus I've given to David. And right now you're predestined to that day because right now it's like he has a plan he's going to conform you to the image of his son, Romans, chapter 8. He's predestined you to that and he's in the process of making you all of that. So one day he'll set David Gardner down and say y'all know who this is. This is my well-loved, beloved son and I am very well pleased in him and he gives you everything and he's not mad about it, he's not mad.
Austin Gardner:He's totally the opposite of that you know.
David Gardner:In the verse it says according to the good pleasure of his will. So you know he's predestined.
Austin Gardner:That's a good point. It's not because Jesus fits in his arm, is it?
David Gardner:Yeah, and you think you know, okay, well, I'm going to get all this stuff and he's conforming me to his image. But he's just always mad at me, he's always disappointed, and one day I'll get to heaven. And when I get to heaven he's going to stop being disappointed with me because I'll finally stop messing up.
Austin Gardner:That's what's so sad is we have Christianity and performance-based religion has turned it into you being good enough for him, which you never have been and never will be, but he is good enough for us.
David Gardner:Yeah, and it's his good pleasure. Everything that he's doing in our life is his good pleasure, and that's to the praise of the glory of his grace. So you know which I think is amazing? It's the glory of His grace. So you know which I think is amazing? It's the glory of His grace. You know, it's how gracious, how graceful he is with us and we praise Him for how much grace he's placed upon us.
Austin Gardner:I think if there's anything to be seen and what's your point right there is God wants to be praised for how good he is. He wants us going. I can't believe you. I can't believe you love scum like me. I can't believe you love trash like me, and he's going to look at him and say you're not trash.
David Gardner:You're accepted in the beloved.
Austin Gardner:You're my son. You're fully accepted. I chose you. Stop acting like I didn't pick you. I picked you. He stopped looking at you and saying you're not worthy to be here. It's kind of a famous thing to say more than I deserve, everything's more than I deserve. But from the father's point of view he's like I loved you. I went looking for you, I picked you out, I chose you. I'm the one that's made a plan to get you all the way to the public anointing. It's like the bride that's on her way to the wedding. She's rejoicing in the fact that she's going to be married because she's a fiance, but she's about to be. She's about to have her big day, her coronation day, and that's exactly where we're headed.
David Gardner:And to think, you know verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins. So, once again, you know, we think God's even mad about that, like I had, basically, I mean, you know, if we took it just to the nth degree, it's man, I'm mad at this kid because I had to kill my son for him. Like, I love him, but, man, you really done messed up and it's like, no, it's the riches, according to the riches of his grace, like, and so he wanted to give himself for us. He did give himself for us. The father gave him up for us and he didn't hold him back. The Son gave himself up for us. It was the good pleasure of his will. It's the riches of his grace and he's abounded toward us, not just dying for us, but he's abounded toward us wisdom and prudence, so that we can know Him through His death, his resurrection, through His Word, through His Holy Spirit. He's just poured all of this on us.
Austin Gardner:You know it's because he is love. God is love and, by the way, it's always been God who wanted the relationship. It was God who created man. It was man that rebelled. It was God that chased down man. Man didn't come back to God and say I know I blew it, could I have another chance? It was God that went and said hey, what are you doing? Come here. And he clothed them. And you know the Bible says in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, god was in Christ reconciling the world. You realize that God gave his only begotten son for God to love the world, that he gave his only begotten son. But it wasn't like God had divided, god was in Christ. God loves you, no matter where you are, no matter what you fail, no matter how much you mess up. God loves you and I hope you'll get a hold of that.
David Gardner:Go ahead. Yeah, one of the things that I was considering the other day is, you know, when you read 1 Corinthians 13 and the description of love, you know, if God is love, then that's what God is right, and so obviously it's His name, his glory. You know, he is worthy of all honor, all glory, all worship, all praise. But when you see 1 Corinthians 13, and it says that charity doesn't boast, charity doesn't vaunt itself up, or charity doesn't lift itself up, doesn't seek its own, doesn't seek as its own, you know, and then you start considering that God is love and that, you know, god incarnate is Jesus, and then you consider all the things that he's doing, you know, or that he's done in his ministry, and it's like he fulfills all of that. That's in first Corinthians 13, you know, and that he is of that.
David Gardner:That's in 1 Corinthians 13. That's right, you know, and that he is, he is love, you know, and he, and so he he's not. You know I'm thinking all of all this in Spanish, but you know, el amor no se irrita, so love doesn't irritate itself. You know what I mean. So, so Jesus is gentle and lowly, meek and lowly, and so he's, you know, just all of these descriptions of 1 Corinthians 13,. That's how he feels about me.
Austin Gardner:That's exactly how he feels about us. I think in Ephesians, chapter 1, and I haven't preached this recently and I haven't preached it at Levercese, where I do a lot of my preaching or Shady Grove but it says that in the fullness of time, he was going to gather together in one all things in Christ, everything on earth and everything in heaven. You know, what he's doing is he's restoring everything that was lost Right in Eden. In the Garden of Eden, man walked away. The divider, the separator, the slanderer, the liar, the devil, the serpent, satan, split everything up.
Austin Gardner:Now people fight people and hate people, and people are mad at God and people are mad at each other. People are mad at everything the world. Animals eat animals. That's what it was in the Garden of Eden. And he says I'm going to bring it all back together, but I'm doing it. It's all through Christ. I'm putting together what's in heaven, I'm putting together what's in earth. And he said I'm doing it at the time, I plan to do it and it's according to my good pleasure. So the human race walked away from God, but God, from the very beginning, made a plan to get us back to him. Yeah, you know in Genesis what's it? 315, is it?
David Gardner:I think it's 315.
Austin Gardner:He says that he will give his seed, her seed, to stop the devil's seed. So Jesus will be bruised and wounded, the devil will be destroyed. It's all going to go back to the way God had it originally intended in Jesus Christ. And it's all because verse 11, it's the counsel of his goodwill. That's what you mentioned a while ago. It's just how much he loves us and how much he wants us. And so I don't know if you're listening right now and wondering am I wanted, am I accepted the whole plan, the outworking of everything God wants from before time began? Was he wants you and he loves you and he's come for you and you can trust him today.
David Gardner:Well, I think this has even cleared up a lot for me. Just going down a trail of thought, In Colossians 1, Paul says that he has made us holy, spotless and blameless. He made us I like that Right, and so we're holy, spotless and blameless. He met us I like that Right, and so we're holy, spotless and blameless. And, like I said, whenever the word holiness or personal holiness or Christian holiness is mentioned, it is usually tied to expectations.
Austin Gardner:Especially about performance-based religion.
David Gardner:And then something that you just said is holy means set apart, and so then you go to Ephesians 1, and this is how he has set us apart he's predestined us, he's inheritance, he is, he pulled us out of that sinful world.
David Gardner:Right. He's made us accepted in the beloved. So is you know? So there's all this stuff, and that's what has made us holy. So now we are holy thanks to you know all the things that Christ has done. So then you know. My mind goes back to Colossians 1, holy, spotless, blameless. There's nothing I can do to mess that up.
Austin Gardner:Nope, you know here's a crazy illustration, but it is honestly like looking at your child, that you made your child and saying be my child. Now what's going to happen is, because he's your child, he's going to live like your child. He's going to start to live that out. It's like a man looking at his wife and saying be my wife, she is your wife. You are holy, you are set aside, you are set apart. You do belong to God. You do have all of that in you and honestly, we need to realize it's what the Lord did in us. It's what he did for us, because you could never be holy. People throughout the ages have tried to be holy. No one's ever holy without what he does.
David Gardner:Well, I think of how you know growing up. I remember there are many conversations that were had when you would say you know a gardener, we're gardeners, we don't do this, we don't do that, or we do this, we do that. This is how we behave, this is how we act, and it was an identity thing because you reminded me of you know whose child I was or who I belonged to. And then you know just by nature. You know DNA and raising. There are plenty of things that I do now that are you know, just like you, and you know irritating things and fun things.
Austin Gardner:Probably the things I find most irritating about you is what I see of me and you katie.
David Gardner:Katie all the time calls me austin for some reason or another. But uh, you know you think about it.
Austin Gardner:I love katie, but I'm going to punch her for that one okay, well, she might punch back, um no.
David Gardner:and then you think about, uh, you know, as a child of God, you know, okay, a child of God doesn't do this, you know. And then so you've got a new identity, you've got a new nature and you've got the power of the Holy Spirit living in you and it's like, okay, well, I'm not necessarily living under the expectation of the obligation of things that I have to do. I'm actually just living out my real nature. I'm living out who I really am now, and it's taken me a long time to learn who I am. It's still taking me time. You know, I'm going to continue learning who I am in Christ. I'm going to continue learning what that looks like in my, you know, family relationships and and all that kind of stuff. But it's, you know, I think the, the Christian walk, is a continual learning of. This is who I am and this is how who I am lives.
Austin Gardner:It is honestly I think, um, I think of a young, married young wife. I think of 52, over 52 years ago now. I think of nearly 20 years ago, when you got married. You really don't have to command a wife to want to be a wife, or she would have never accepted the invitation. And, yes, wives grow in their relationship with their husband and husbands grow in a relationship with their wife. But the facts are, Betty and I have been married 52 years and, as of today, there's never been a list of rules. There's never been what she has to do. Now, that doesn't mean she doesn't do a thousand things to please me and I don't do a thousand things to please her, but it's never because there's a rule, because living comes out of loving, not out of rules.
David Gardner:Well you think about it. Relationships don't function well under expectations. That's right, and so you know. Where do marriages fall apart is when the husband has unmet expectations and the wife has unmet expectations, and everything's based off of expectations. Friendships don't last because of unmet expectations.
Austin Gardner:I expected this and you didn't do it, so I'm not your friend anymore.
David Gardner:And so why do we expect our relationship with God to be any different, expect our relationship with God to be any different? Relationships are giving of oneself. Relationships are laying your life down and loving one another, and it's like why wouldn't a relationship with the Lord look the same? I love Him. He loves me.
Austin Gardner:I want to please Him and he's already pleasing me. I think that, probably as we end today's podcast, he claimed us, he made us his, he gave us our destiny, he has a plan for our lives. He always accomplishes his purpose and his plan and he wants to be praised. I like what it says in verse 11 and 12, in whom we have obtained an inheritance. We are predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things at the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory. You see, he wants to be praised and you mentioned it a second ago, that verse where it was which one was it, Verse 6, the praise of the glory of His grace.
Austin Gardner:And so really we're like trophies of grace. I heard a preacher preach that years ago. God's in heaven. He's not going to say, boy, that guy did a good job for me. He's actually going to say, look, how good a job I did in that guy's life. God's going to hold us up and say you ain't going to believe where I got this one. You ain't going to believe how I changed this one and look how he turned out, because it's the praise of the glory of his grace. What do you think?
David Gardner:I think that's it. When you think about how good he's been, in verse 7, it just goes back to who we were before Him redeemed, taken out of, cleaned up, made new forgiven, forgiveness of sins. That should be enough. With that it would be enough, but it even goes above and beyond that.
Austin Gardner:And you know, here it says according to the riches of His grace, not according to the rules that you obey, but the riches of His grace. Salvation is purely God coming to us and God loving us and God saving us. You want to say anything else before we close today?
David Gardner:No, I've enjoyed it. It's helped me.
Austin Gardner:Well, let's pray that the Lord will work in each of our lives and that his name will be glorified. And if you're listening, I hope you'll share it with somebody. Maybe someone else will have some interest, and I thank you very much for being with me today.
