Followed By Mercy

Send us Fan Mail

Are you tired of trying to "become" a better Christian? What if the biggest struggle in your life isn't your lack of discipline or your battle with sin, but your effort to achieve an identity you already have?

In this final session of our series, Austin Gardner (50+ years of ministry experience) breaks down the theology of rest. Using Hebrews 4:10 and Ephesians 2:6, Austin explains that spiritual rest isn’t about doing nothing—it’s about stopping the attempt to earn God’s favor.

In this video, you’ll discover:

The "Finished House" Analogy: Why we keep trying to lay foundations for a home Jesus already built.
Sitting vs. Striving: What it means to be "seated in heavenly places" while the world tells you to keep climbing.
The 52-Year Marriage Secret: How resting in a relationship actually produces more fruit than working for it.
David & Goliath Reimagined: Why the victory was won for the whole army before they even moved a muscle.
Stop asking, "What do I need to do?" and start asking, "What is already true because I am in Christ?"

Connect with Austin https://waustingardner.com/

Key Verses Mentioned:

Hebrews 4:10
Ephesians 2:6
John 15:4
2 Corinthians 5:21
#Grace #RestInChrist #IdentityInChrist #AustinGardner #BiblicalTeaching #FinishedWork

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

"Jesus became what you were, so you could become what He is."

Are you tired of waking up and feeling like you need to "fix" yourself before God can accept you? In this episode, Austin Gardner tackles the deepest trap in the Christian life: the belief that righteousness is something we achieve through our behavior.

Inside this conversation:

• The Bank Account Exchange: Why righteousness is a transfer of funds, not a paycheck you earned.
• The Distorted Mirror: Why your feelings are a terrible judge of your standing with God.
• The Jersey Principle: How to identify with the "Championship Team" regardless of your personal performance.
• Living From, Not For: Why a son acts like a son because he is one, not to become one.

It’s time to stop the "Accounting Game" and realize that the trial is over, and the verdict is in: You are made righteous.

Visit the Hub for more:https://waustingardner.com/
Watch the Canfield Series: [Link]

#AustinGardner #Righteousness #DNAofGrace #IdentityInChrist #Grace #Faith

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

"Have you ever seen a branch sweating?"

In this incredibly personal message, Austin Gardner confesses how he spent years turning "abiding" into just another rule to follow. Now, after 50+ years of ministry and a battle with Stage 4 cancer, he’s seeing the simplicity of Jesus’ words in John 15:5 in a brand-new light.

What we’re digging into today:

• The Struggle Trap: Why we think we need to "help" God produce results.
• Abiding Defined: It’s not a work; it’s a connection. (Think: Phone to Wi-Fi).
• The Source vs. The Self: Moving from "I need to do better" to "He is already in me."
• The Fruit of the Spirit: Why love, joy, and peace are natural results, not forced disciplines.

If your faith feels heavy, you’re likely trying to be the Vine. It’s time to settle back into being the branch.

W. Austin Gardner 

#AustinGardner #Abiding #John15 #Grace #IdentityInChrist #DNAofGrace #Rest

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

"What if the message of being 'In Christ' has been there the whole time?"

In this session, Austin Gardner (with 50+ years of ministry experience) walks us through the "One Includes the Many" principle. From the loins of Abraham to the blood on the doorposts in Egypt, God has always dealt with humanity through a representative.

Inside this episode:

• The Ark Logic: Why the question wasn't "Can you swim?" but "Are you in the boat?"
• The David Principle: Why Israel won a battle they never fought.
• The Passover Secret: Why the blood on the door mattered more than the "fussing" inside the house.
• The Great Relocation: How to stop "bootstrapping" your way to God and start resting in your location.

Austin also previews some incredible upcoming interviews with Ricky Howard, Clint Woodall, and Mike Pennington on what it means to be "The Beloved."

Stop trying harder. Start realizing where you are.

#AustinGardner #Grace #DNAofGrace #IdentityInChrist #BibleStudy #ChristianMentorship

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever felt like you’re walking the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," entirely on your own?

In this session, Austin Gardner dives deep into one of the most beautiful truths in Scripture: Psalm 23:4—"Thou art with me."

Drawing from over 50 years of ministry, missionary work in Peru, and his personal battles with Stage 4 cancer and COVID, Austin explains why our relationship with God isn't a performance-based contract, but a blood-bought covenant.

What you’ll learn in this message:

• The Shepherd’s Perspective: Why being a "sheep" means you don't have to be smart or strong—you just have to belong.
• Covenant vs. Contract: Why God doesn't "walk off" when you mess up (and why David could trust God even when his life was a mess).
• The Rod and the Staff: Discover why these aren't tools for punishment, but for your protection and comfort in the dark.
• The "Together" Reality: Why you never have to ask God to "come be with you" ever again.

Stop striving to reach a God who is already holding you. Whether you’re in a season of joy or the valley of the shadow of death, the reality remains: Thou art with me.

Subscribe for more grace-filled encouragement: https://followedbymercy.buzzsprout.com
Check out Austin Gardner

Austin Gardner Story

#AustinGardner #Psalm23 #Grace #IdentityInChrist #NeverAlone #ChristianMentorship

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever felt like the Christian life is a treadmill you can’t keep up with? Like if you just tried a little harder, you’d finally "get it"?

In this episode, I’m sharing why your effort isn't the problem—it’s your starting point. Most of us are taught to "behave our way into becoming," but the Bible tells us to "believe where we already are."

What we cover:

• Why you aren't a servant earning a paycheck, but a child with a vital union.
• The "Car Engine" realization: Are you pushing a car that’s already running?
• My experience in the Dead Sea and what it taught me about resting in God’s strength.
• Understanding Galatians 2:20: "Not I, but Christ."

Stop trying to produce the life and start receiving the flow. You don't have a "Christian life" separate from Christ—He IS your life.

Join the Conversation:
📖 Read more about this on Medium: [Your Medium Link]
🌐 Visit the Hub: https://waustingardner.com
🎙️ Subscribe to the Followed By Mercy Podcast.

#IdentityInChrist #Grace #ChristianLiving #AustinGardner #FollowedByMercy #DNAofGrace

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

Stop trying to improve something that God has already ended.

Most people think salvation is just a second chance or a clean slate. But in this episode, Austin Gardner reveals a much deeper, more shocking truth: You were included in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection before you even knew it.

Using the metaphor of a bankrupt company, Austin explains that the cross isn't about "behavior management"—it’s about Identity Termination. The old you didn't just get a makeover; the old you died. Now, your life is "hid with Christ in God."

If you’ve spent years striving to "become" a better Christian, this teaching is your invitation to wake up to who you already are.

In this episode, we explore:

• Romans 6 & Colossians 3: The legal reality of your death in Christ.
• The Elevator Metaphor: Why resurrection isn't something you wait for, but something you're carried into.
• Seated in Heavenly Places: What it means to live from victory rather than for it.
• Levi in Abraham: How a great-grandson participated in an act decades before his birth—and how you did the same in Christ.

Connect with Austin:

• Blog/Hub: waustingardner.com (Read the full "DNA of Grace" series here).
• Substack/Email: Sign up for daily grace-filled encouragement.
• Podcast: Search "Followed by Mercy" on all major platforms.

#WArustinGardner #IdentityInChrist #Grace #GospelTruth #FollowedByMercy #ChristianMentorship #IdentityTermination

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever felt like something about you was broken before you even chose anything?

In this powerful teaching, Austin Gardner explores the two "planes" of humanity: Being In Adam and being In Christ. Drawing from his personal journey with a genetic cancer diagnosis and 50 years of global ministry, Austin explains that sin isn't just something you do—it's a condition you were born into.

But there is good news. Just as you didn't choose to be in Adam, you have been included in the victory of Christ.

Stop trying to "Fix Adam." You can't repair a failing plane while it's in mid-air. Instead, Austin shows you how to "switch planes" by realizing your new location in Jesus.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Genetic Link: How our spiritual identity is inherited, not earned.
• The Team Principle: Why you win when your Head (Christ) wins, even if you’re on the bench.
• Top-Down Leadership: How a new "CEO" (Jesus) changes the entire company of your life.
• Identity vs. Effort: Why "In Christ" means you are a new creature, not just a repaired one.

Key Scripture References:

• 1 Corinthians 15:22 — "For as in Adam all die..."
• Romans 5:12-19 — The offense of one vs. the obedience of One.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 — Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

Connect with Austin:
Visit waustingardner.com to read the companion articles on "The DNA of Grace."

#AustinGardner #IdentityInChrist #Grace #BiblicalLeadership #FollowedByMercy #InChrist #TheDNAofGrace

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever paid for something you didn't even know you were paying for?

In this episode, Austin Gardner dives into one of the "strangest" passages in the Bible—Hebrews 7—to reveal a life-changing truth: In Christ, you were there.

Using the "Airplane Principle" from his days as a missionary in Peru, Austin explains that your identity isn't something you achieve through behavior; it’s something you receive through location. Just as Levi was "in the loins of Abraham" when he paid tithes, you were "in Christ" when He died and rose again.

Stop asking: "Am I enough?" or "Am I accepted?"
Start realizing: If you are in the plane, you are going where the pilot is going.

In this teaching, you’ll discover:

• Why "trying harder" to be like Jesus isn't the Christian life.
• The mystery of Representative Identity (Adam vs. Christ).
• How to live from a posture of rest rather than a cycle of performance.
• Why God doesn't relate to you outside of His Son.

Resources mentioned:

• Read the full "DNA of Grace" series at waustingardner.com
• Subscribe to the "Followed by Mercy" Podcast for more daily encouragement.

#IdentityInChrist #Grace #WArustinGardner #FollowedByMercy #BibleTeaching #ChristianLeadership

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail

We spend our whole lives trying to be David—trying to be the hero of our own stories. But after 50 years of ministry and a battle with Stage 4 cancer, Austin Gardner has realized that the pressure is off.

In this episode of the DNA of Grace series, we look at 1 Samuel 17 and Romans 5 to see that Jesus is the real David who fought the battle we couldn't win. Learn why "Together" is the most important word in your Bible and how to finally rest in a victory that is already yours.

Key Takeaway: You don't have to measure up because He already did.

Resources mentioned:

• Visit the Hub: waustingardner.com
• Part 1-7 of the DNA of Grace series is available on the website.

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.