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
Discerning God’s Call: Spiritual Wisdom and Practical Guidance
How can you discern if God has genuinely called you? This episode promises to answer that pressing question with insights from spiritual leaders like William Booth and Charles Spurgeon. We start by reflecting on Booth’s compelling invitation to listen for God’s call through the Bible and the cries of humanity. Then, we delve into Spurgeon’s wisdom on the importance of being fit to lead, prepared to endure, and the crucial act of counting the cost before embarking on a divine mission.
Join us on this introspective journey as we discuss practical ways to identify if you're divinely chosen for ministry. We explore if you have had an impact on others, gained the attention of a Sunday school class, or seen any spiritual fruits from your preaching. By considering these indicators, you will gain clarity and confidence in your calling. Whether you’re seeking affirmation or grappling with uncertainty, this episode provides the guidance you need to pursue your mission with conviction and purpose.
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Well, over the next day or so, I want to talk to you about how to know if God's called you. I just want to share some things with you that you can be considering, because this is a leader training channel. It's our goal here to help you be all that God has called you to be, and I know that that may mean that you are trying Let me I'm trying to pull up the notes here. That may mean that you are trying to find out if God has called you or not, and so just let me say a few things to you. First off, opinions abound about the call. Some people believe that you do not need a call, but you should see the command and go. Others feel that God must put his hand on you so that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is calling you.
Austin Gardner:I offer you one of the first of my favorite quotes about getting into the work of God by William Booth. He is the founder of the Salvation Army and he wrote this many, many years ago. Not called, did you say. Not heard the call. I think you should say Put your ear down to the Bible and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity and listen to the pitiful wail for help. Go, stand by the gates of hell and hear the damned entreat you to go into their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul, body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world. Well, that was how William Booth put it. Have you heard the call? Maybe you haven't been listening.
Austin Gardner:If you're concerned about being sure you're called to be a missionary, you're right to be cautious. Charles Spurgeon, speaking of young men called to the ministry, said this you must be fitted to lead, prepared to endure and able to persevere In grace. You should be head and shoulders above the rest of the people, able to be their father and their counselor. Having seen so many missionaries not learn the language, not adapt to the culture, I want you to strongly consider God's will or God's call. Jesus said it was better to sit down first and count the cost rather than start to build and not be able to finish. You can look up Luke, chapter 14, verses 28 through 32, and you can read about that very thought that you must sit down first and count the cost and see what you should do. So I want you to consider that with me. I'm going to take you on a little bit of a journey here. As we go through, we're going to be looking at how to know if we're called and we're going to be reading these, we're going to be studying these passages and these ideas. So go with me.
Austin Gardner:Charles Spurgeon spoke about the importance of his calling and said the following it may be if I had not been called to the ministry and had no seal of it, I'd better leave it alone, lest I go without God's commission, and that would never answer my purpose to begin without his having sent me. For if he has not sent me, it may be I shall break down in my errand and do no good. I do not ask whether you are much instructed or learned or all that. I do not need you to ask. I do not need you to ask you, for I do not care about it myself, but ask you these questions.
Austin Gardner:Have you tried to address a Sabbath school, that's a Sunday school?
Austin Gardner:Have you gained the attention of children?
Austin Gardner:Have you, having tried to address a few people when there have been?
Austin Gardner:Have you tried to address a few people when they've been gathered together?
Austin Gardner:Have you found they'll listen to you after you have preached?
Austin Gardner:Have you had any evidence and sign that would lead you to believe that souls were blessed under you?
Austin Gardner:Did any of the saints of God who are spiritually minded tell you that their souls were fed by your sermon?
Austin Gardner:Did you hear of any sinner convicted of sin? Have you any reason to believe that you have had a soul converted under you? If not, if you will take one's advice for what it's good for and I believe it's advice which God's Holy Spirit would have me give to you you had better give it up. You will make a very respectable Sunday school teacher. You'll do very well in a great many ways. But unless these things have been known by you, unless you have these evidences, you may say you have been called and all that. I don't believe it. If you had been called to preach, there would have been some evidence and some sign of it. Do you understand what he's saying? You got to know that God is using you. It's not just a feeling I have, but it's already being manifest in your life. I will continue with you for a few days on the idea of the call. I hope you've been blessed by this today and I look forward to talking to you about that again tomorrow.
