What if your desire to make everyone happy isn't actually coming from love—but from fear?

Sometimes what looks like kindness, selflessness, and putting others first is actually rooted in fear of rejection, disappointment, conflict, or losing control.

In this episode of the Strong Tower Mental Health Podcast, Heidi explores the biblical story of Mary and Martha, the psychology behind people-pleasing, and how Jesus invites us to move from fear-driven striving into freedom.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How people-pleasing can disguise itself as love and selflessness
• Why childhood experiences, trauma, and fear can lead us to feel responsible for others' happiness
• What Mary and Martha teach us about worry, striving, and being with Jesus
• How to recognize and break agreement with lies that keep us trapped in fear
• Biblical truths to declare over your identity, worth, and relationships

You can love people deeply without being responsible for their happiness. Freedom begins when you stop looking to others for your worth and start looking to Jesus.

Key Scripture — Psalm 34:4 (ESV)

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears."

Additional Scriptures: Luke 10:38–42, Luke 11:39–42, Galatians 1:10, Psalm 139:14.

Find more about Heidi: www.heidimortensonlmft.com

Join my mailing list: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/t5u2y5

If you are in crisis, help is available by call or text 1-800-273-8255 24/7. You can also visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are loved!

What does it look like to truly put God first—and allow Him to use your life for His purposes?

In this episode of the Strong Tower Mental Health Podcast, Heidi sits down with Bible teacher, ministry leader, and Impactors for Christ podcast host Joyce Erickson. Joyce shares her powerful testimony—from encountering Jesus as a teenager, through years of living with one foot in the world, to fully surrendering her life to God and stepping into a calling she never could have planned for herself.

Joyce shares how God led her from studying and teaching the Bible to developing a Christian college program, serving as its president, and eventually encouraging others to use their gifts to impact the world for Christ.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why putting God first can change the direction of your life
• How surrender and obedience can open doors you never expected
• Biblical ways to discern God's voice
• Why Scripture must remain the foundation for dreams, visions, and spiritual experiences
• How God can use your unique gifts and story to impact others for Christ

Joyce's story is a beautiful reminder that you don't have to have your entire calling figured out—you simply need to be willing to follow God one step at a time.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." — Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

Life starts to have purpose when you put God first

You start to respect yourself and you stop focusing on what the other person is doing and you start to have purpose in life.

Joyce's Website: Believersbibleschool.com

Impactors For Christ Podcast – Youtube

Tiktok Reve Joyce Erickson

Find more about Heidi: www.heidimortensonlmft.com

Join my mailing list: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/t5u2y5

If you are in crisis, help is available by call or text 1-800-273-8255 24/7. You can also visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are loved!

Does trauma stop revival? Can God genuinely move in a church where leaders—or the people experiencing Him—are carrying unresolved trauma? And does an intense hunger for God always mean a community is spiritually healthy?

In this episode, Heidi explores the complicated intersection of revival, trauma, spiritual hunger, emotional health, leadership, and discernment. From Samson's supernatural gifting alongside profound character struggles to the differences between charismatic expressions of hunger and the quiet faithfulness often seen in more traditional churches, this conversation asks an important question: How do we recognize a healthy move of God?

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why unresolved trauma doesn't necessarily prevent God from moving—but can affect how we perceive and steward what He is doing
• How to distinguish spiritual gifts, emotional intensity, and manifestations from the fruit of the Spirit
• Why a quiet, faithful Christian may be just as hungry for God as someone pursuing revival meetings and supernatural encounters
• What Samson teaches us about the difference between gifting and character
• Practical markers of healthy revival, including truth, accountability, humility, safety, repentance, rest, and lasting fruit
"Test everything; hold fast what is good." — 1 Thessalonians 5:21

You don't have to be afraid of the supernatural, and you don't have to turn off discernment to pursue it. We can hunger for everything God has for us while remaining grounded in Scripture, wisdom, emotional health, and the fruit of the Spirit.

Find more about Heidi: www.heidimortensonlmft.com

Schedule a FREE 15-minute clarity call with Heidi: https://calendly.com/heidimortenson/15min

Join my mailing list: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/t5u2y5

If you are in crisis, help is available by call or text 1-800-273-8255 24/7. You can also visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are loved!