262. Surrender Changes Everything With Joyce Erickson262. Surrender Changes Everything With Joyce Erickson
Strong Tower Mental Health with Heidi Mortenson
Heidi Mortenson talks with Bible teacher Joyce Erickson about her journey from near-death, carnal living and a spouse’s alcoholism to full surrender to God. Their conversation focuses on putting God first, building boundaries, hearing His voice and saying yes to Jesus in everyday life.
42:13•19 Oct 2026
Surrender, Sobriety and Saying Yes to Jesus with Joyce Erickson
Episode Overview
- Putting God first gives life purpose, even when a loved one is trapped in addiction.
- Healthy boundaries help shift focus from controlling others to growing in one’s own relationship with God.
- Surrendering fully to God can transform years of carnal living into a life of calling and service.
- Any dream, vision or inner leading should be tested against Scripture to avoid spiritual mixture.
- Daily time in the Bible and prayer helps believers recognise God’s voice and say “yes” to Jesus in practical ways.
“Life starts to have purpose when you put God first.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation between host and therapist Heidi Mortenson and guest Joyce Erickson answers that with a mix of honesty, humour, and deep faith.
Joyce shares how a near-drowning at age 12 and a terrifying vision of hell shook her into realising she needed Jesus, yet she still spent “22 years of what I would call carnal living.” Her story will ring painfully true for anyone who’s tried to follow God while feeling pulled back into old patterns. Things get especially relatable when Joyce talks about her husband’s alcoholism and how it consumed her thoughts.
Instead of sugar-coating it, she admits focusing so much on his drinking that she even avoided thinking about eternity. Through years in Al-Anon and a hard-won surrender, she came to a simple but challenging conclusion: “Life starts to have purpose when you put God first.” From there, Joyce explains how daily Bible reading and prayer led her from being “just a simple, ordinary housewife” to Bible teacher, ordained minister, and founder of a Christian college.
She stresses practical discernment: any dream, vision, or inner leading needs to line up with Scripture. As she says, “Does it confirm with the word of God? I just can’t stress that enough.” The episode is especially helpful for Christians affected by a loved one’s addiction, or anyone wondering how to hear God’s voice without getting lost in spiritual ‘mixture’.
Joyce keeps bringing it back to basics: put God first, build healthy boundaries, and wake up each day ready to “say yes to Jesus.” If you’re juggling faith, mental health, and messy family realities, this conversation might be the nudge you need to ask: where do you need to surrender so God can change everything?
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