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!

Psychosis or Demonic? Discerning Mental Health and Spiritual Warfare

Is it psychosis, demonic influence—or could there be more than one thing happening at the same time?

In this episode of the Strong Tower Mental Health Podcast, Heidi sits down with Rafe Ronning to continue the conversation from the Mental Health & Deliverance Conference. Together, they explore one of the most challenging areas of discernment: distinguishing symptoms of mental illness from possible spiritual oppression.

Heidi and Rafe also discuss the Lindsay Clancy trial and case, including reports surrounding her mental state and alleged experiences of hearing a voice, and consider the questions her story raises about psychosis, spiritual warfare, and the importance of careful discernment. They do not attempt to diagnose Clancy or claim certainty about the spiritual causes of her actions.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How psychosis and spiritual oppression can sometimes appear similar
• Rafe's personal testimony of deliverance and spiritual freedom
• Why Christians disagree about whether believers can experience demonic oppression
• How to approach voices, intrusive thoughts, and unusual experiences with both spiritual and clinical discernment
• Why seeking appropriate help, staying grounded in Scripture, and following the Holy Spirit matter when navigating complex symptoms

This conversation isn't about labeling every mental health struggle as demonic—or dismissing the spiritual realm altogether. It's about learning to discern wisely, remain grounded in truth, and recognize when someone may need clinical care, spiritual support, or both.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God." — 1 John 4:1 NKJV

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." — 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Rafe's website: https://www.truthandfreedomchurch.com/

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!