S11.08 |4 Steps to Taking Your Thoughts Captive: A Biblical Framework
Have you ever felt trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts - like shame, fear, or unworthiness - and wondered how to break free? In this episode of Affirming Truths, Carla Arges shares a practical, biblical framework for renewing your mind and walking in God’s freedom.
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 10:5 and Philippians 4:8, Carla unpacks 4 simple but powerful steps to taking thoughts captive: recognizing harmful patterns, interrupting them, replacing lies with God’s truth, and practicing new thoughts until they take root. Whether you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or everyday stress, this episode will equip you with both spiritual insight and neuroscience-backed tools to align your thought life with Christ.
You don’t have to live weighed down by lies - God has given you the authority to renew your mind.
Did you know that Carla is a Christian Mental Health coach?
See if working with her is what you need in your current season.
Book a discovery call today!
3 Key Takeaways from This Episode
1.How to Recognize Toxic Thought Patterns – Learn to spot the lies of shame, fear, and condemnation so you can expose what doesn’t align with God’s Word.
2. Practical Tools to Interrupt Negative Thinking – Discover simple strategies like prayer, Scripture declaration, and physical resets to stop unhealthy thoughts before they spiral.
3. Replacing Lies with Biblical Truth – See how Scripture and daily repetition can rewire your brain, helping you live with the mind of Christ and experience lasting transformation.
🔗 Want to Go Deeper?
If this episode stirred something in you, don’t stop here. Inside Rooted & Resilient, you’ll learn how to take everything you’ve been learning—and finally live it out with support, structure, and Christ-centered guidance.
💻 Learn more and enroll at: carlaarges.podia.com/rooted-resilient
Connect With Carla:
Foundations to Healing—-> https://www.carlaarges.com/foundations-of-healing
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> Book a FREE Discovery call
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
Resources:
5 Steps to Building Resiliency
Affirming Truths Facebook Community
5 Tips for Overcoming a Negative Body Image
Who You Say I Am Biblical Affirmation Cards
TRANSCRIPT
Hey, friends, welcome to episode 8 of season 11 of Affirming Truths.
I’m so happy that you’re joining me here today. My prayer is that with every episode you are both challenged and encouraged, and given tools and new perspectives to help you on your journey of faith—especially if you’re struggling through a wilderness season.
Last episode we talked about the danger of becoming numb to sin. Today, I want to talk about another danger many of us face: our thought life.
So many of us want to live holy and emotionally healthy lives. We want healing from trauma and mental health struggles. But the truth is, our thought life is where the real battle happens.
In this episode, I share a simple but powerful biblical framework for taking your thoughts captive—one that is rooted both in Scripture and neuroscience. This is the same framework I use with my 1:1 clients and in my group coaching program Rooted & Resilient.
Why Your Thoughts Matter
If you’ve walked through trauma or mental illness, your brain has likely formed well-worn neural pathways that automatically replay lies of shame, fear, or unworthiness. Without realizing it, these thoughts drive our emotions, our responses, and can even keep us trapped in cycles of overwhelm or shame.
But here’s the good news: God has given us the ability to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). With repetition, truth, and faith, we can form new neural pathways and begin to live transformed lives.
The 4-Step Framework
This process is simple—but powerful when practiced with persistence:
Recognize the Thought
Slow down and notice what you’re actually thinking. Name it. Call it out. For example: “I’m not good enough.”Test the Thought Against God’s Word
Does this thought align with Scripture and God’s character?“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Replace the Thought with Truth
Don’t just push away negative thoughts—replace them with God’s Word.Lie: “I’m unworthy.”
Truth: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)
Lie: “I’ll never change.”
Truth: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Repeat Until It Becomes a Habit
Neuroscience confirms that repetition rewires the brain. Scripture calls this the “renewing of the mind.” (Romans 12:2) The more often you practice this, the quicker you’ll catch lies and replace them with truth.
Key Takeaway
Taking your thoughts captive isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence. Every time you rehearse God’s truth, you strengthen your mind in Christ, loosen the enemy’s hold, and step closer to freedom and healing.
Your Challenge This Week
What is one recurring thought you need to take captive? Write it down, find a Scripture that speaks against it, and start practicing that replacement daily.
Affirming Truth for Today: I have the mind of Christ, and I choose to think on what is true.
Anchoring Scripture:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)