In episode 202, “How to Capture Thoughts”, Brooke & Faren discuss the meaning of Philippians 4:6-8 in the Bible. Hear what Paul says to the Philippians about how prayer brings peace along with the good thoughts we want to have. We use our © Read Pray Talk Tell Method to discover ways we can practically live this scripture out in everyday life. The Philippians mini series begins on episode 199 and goes through episode 203 of the Witty & Gritty podcast.
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN
Read Thought Work Tips
As we’ve walked through Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we know that he is preaching encouragement to his friends. His perspective seems so positive and clear despite his being in prison (among other trials). We strongly encourage you to take a moment and read Philippians chapters 1-4 and come back to this episode. Bonus points for listening to our breakdown on a couple of these verses (start with episode 199 and catch up). Here’s this week’s scripture:
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:6-8
Let’s just take a moment and appreciate the simple breakdown of how to capture thoughts. Paul brings this full circle from identifying the bad habit and replacing it with the good habit. Out Atomic Habits Mini Series gives you the science and Jesus behind why and how habit building like verses 6-8 works.
- First: Stop worrying
- Second: Pray about it (and pray about everything for that matter)
- Third: Tell God what you need
- Fourth: Thank Him for what He’s done
Then, as promised in verse 7, you’ll go onto experience God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. This God given peace will guard your hearts and minds. What a great promise! Now you may be saying, “Well, then what the heck do I think about instead?” Glad you asked. Reread verse 8.
Pray Over Your Thoughts
Learning and actively practicing how to capture thoughts is no easy task. Simple? Yes, the steps are clear to understand. Easy to do is a different story. This is where prayer and practice come into play.
If you are unaware where your stress and anxiety come from, identifying that is step one. Once you’re aware, begin to use the cue of worry as a time to stop and pray. Again, see our Atomic Habits mini series on how to do this specifically.
Take the time to pray at the beginning of your day to help God focus your thoughts on what verse 8 talks about. Ask that you see these throughout the day and can actively reflect and thank God for those good thoughts.
Talk About the Promises
Verse 7 is a promise from God. When we stop worrying, start praying, ask for what we need, and thank God for what He’s done, verse 7 comes to fruition. We all crave supernatural peace that doesn’t make sense. This is how we get it! Thank you, God for this promise!
The more we talk about how to capture thoughts with our inner circle, the more we can help each other in the rough patches. Pray over your people. Write Philippians 4:6-8 on your heart so that you can easily remember the simple steps to capturig thoughts.
Would you like more specific, detailed help on how to do this? We made a thing for you! Our Get Out of Your Head mini series does a deep dive into thought work, how to stop toxic spirals, and how to capture thoughts. We walk alongside you giving real life examples along with impactful interviews. Don’t miss it!
Tell Your Kids This
You don’t have to believe every thought you think. Read that again. Did you know that satan tries to attack us through out thought life? You can learn to identify good thoughts and bad thoughts and take the best steps to learning how to capture thoughts.
We go over a few examples in the episode on how you can help your kids combat toxic thoughts, so be sure to scroll back up and press play. You can also tune into our Get Out of Your Head mini series (episodes 84-91). Here is a brief ordering of a way to capture negative thoughts:
- Recognize the toxic thought
- Hold it up to the truth of the Bible
- Replace toxic thought with God’s word
Pro Tip: When your child is faced with negative thoughts, help walk them through capturing them, and follow up with prayer. Help guide them on how to pray for their minds.
We hope you enjoyed episode 202, “How to Capture Thoughts”, through our © Read Pray Talk Tell Method. Now it’s up to you to work through the Bible chapter discussed, pray about this verse using the prompts given, have biblical community around this verse, and go point others to Christ with the tips we give. Remember, when you read, pray, talk, tell consistently, you’ll grow your faith in God more deeply. Tune in next week to hear another breakdown of a Bible verse!
Links From the Show
- Philippians Mini Series
- Get Out Of Your Head Mini Series (episodes 84-91)
- Atomic Habits Mini Series (episodes 103-111)
- This Journal we LOVE for a gratitude practice
- Galatians Mini Series
