255. Discerning Spiritual Mixture With Dr. Jessica Stone255. Discerning Spiritual Mixture With Dr. Jessica Stone
Strong Tower Mental Health with Heidi Mortenson
Heidi Mortenson and Dr. Jessica Stone talk about spiritual mixture, church experiences, and mental health, repeatedly bringing the focus back to Scripture and a personal relationship with Jesus. Their conversation raises questions about validation, testimonies, and what genuine freedom in Christ might look like for each person.
33:51•31 Aug 2026
Spiritual Mixture, Mental Health, and a Kingdom Mindset
Episode Overview
- Recognise how mixing biblical truth with emotions, culture, or formulas can cause confusion and spiritual pain.
- Ground beliefs in Scripture rather than wounded opinions or second-hand teaching.
- Seek a personal word from God instead of copying another person’s testimony or spiritual routine.
- Shift from craving constant validation to cultivating a heart posture of mercy, listening, and unity.
- Prioritise intimacy with Jesus and time in the word as the core of lasting mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.
“We really need to come back to a place of intimacy with Christ, knowing him for ourself and being in the word.”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation on Strong Tower Mental Health with host Heidi Mortenson and guest Dr. Jessica Stone tackles that question through a very specific lens: the tricky mix of biblical faith, church culture, and personal experience. Dr. Stone, a seasoned counsellor and teacher, shares how years in practice exposed what she calls "mixture"—where God's truth gets blended with emotional reasoning, popular teachings, or spiritual "formulas".
She recalls an early "aha" moment using a simple exercise: "What's a lie and what's a truth?" Clients often answered with painful, unbiblical ideas like "God really wants me to do better", leading her to realise, "truth came directly from Scripture" rather than wounded opinions. You’ll hear the pair unpack how this mixture can affect mental health, relationships, and even people’s view of God.
They talk about reliance on conferences, pastors, and spiritual trends, and how this can backfire when someone copies a testimony or routine and doesn’t get the same result. As Dr. Stone puts it, those kinds of spiritual formulas can leave people doubting themselves and even "the character of God himself".
Instead, she repeatedly brings the focus back to a simple but demanding shift: a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus, time in the word, and a "kingdom mindset" shaped by the gospels. Heidi joins in with practical questions about church hurt, emotionalism, and the craving to be constantly validated, while Dr. Stone challenges that addiction to validation and talks about heart posture, mercy, and listening to others.
If you’re wrestling with spiritual confusion, church wounds, or recovery from unhealthy teaching, this episode offers a grounded, Bible-focused conversation that still leaves space for emotion, questions, and growth. Could a simpler, more intimate walk with Jesus be the key you’ve been looking for?
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