258. Is That Really You? Discernment & Your Authority in Christ258. Is That Really You? Discernment & Your Authority in Christ
Strong Tower Mental Health with Heidi Mortenson
Heidi Mortenson talks about discernment, spiritual warfare and authority in Christ, showing how to question negative thoughts and temptations, including drinking. The conversation blends scripture and mental health principles into simple steps for challenging lies and choosing freedom.
30:19•21 Sept 2026
Discernment, Spiritual Warfare and Finding Your Authority in Christ
Episode Overview
- Not every thought reflects who you are; pause, notice it, and decide whether it lines up with God’s truth.
- Use scripture to test whether a thought or urge, including the temptation to drink, leads towards freedom or bondage.
- Recognise that lies and repeated patterns can grow into strongholds and sometimes invite spiritual influence, but a single negative thought does not mean you have a demon.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment about whether you need repentance, forgiveness, boundaries, processing trauma, or to resist something spiritual.
- Focus on Jesus and everyday obedience rather than chasing methods, people, or endless "deliverance" experiences for freedom.
“What if we stopped automatically agreeing with everything that enters our mind, but instead we start to learn to discern it?”
What drives someone to seek a life that lines up with God’s truth instead of every passing thought? This episode of Strong Tower Mental Health zooms in on discernment, spiritual warfare, and what it means to actually walk in your authority in Christ.
Heidi Mortenson, a licensed marriage and family therapist and committed Christian, talks frankly about the thoughts that bombard your mind, from "I'm worthless" to "I deserve to get drunk tonight." Rather than assuming every thought is either purely psychological or purely demonic, she explains how to slow down and ask what’s really going on.
As she puts it, "What if we stopped automatically agreeing with everything that enters our mind, but instead we start to learn to discern it?" Drawing on scriptures like Ephesians 6, James 4:7 and 2 Corinthians 10, Heidi separates taking thoughts captive from confronting unclean spirits, showing how repeated lies can grow into strongholds that may invite spiritual influence.
You’ll hear practical examples, such as being tempted to cut off a friend after a hurtful comment or turning to a bottle of wine after a hard week, and how to test those urges against God’s word and the fruit they produce. She offers five simple steps: pause and notice the thought, test it against scripture, ask the Holy Spirit for discernment, replace lies with truth, and resist the enemy using Jesus’ authority.
Throughout, Heidi keeps the focus on Jesus rather than methods, warning against chasing endless "freedom appointments" or personalities instead of trusting the Holy Spirit’s work in everyday life. If you’ve ever wondered whether your struggles are trauma, temptation, or something spiritual—and especially if alcohol or other compulsive behaviours are part of that struggle—this episode gives language, tools, and a sense of calm to sort through it. Could learning to question your thoughts be the next step towards freedom?
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