What do you do when you can’t go to sleep at night? (read, count, …)
What things keep you awake at night?
How often does worry or something on your mind keep you awake? (A lot, Sometimes, Rarely, Never)
Read
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. -Isaiah 26:3
What do you think it means to stay your mind on God?
How often do you feel like you have perfect peace?
When you don’t have peace, what are you usually thinking about?
Make it Personal
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. -Philippians 4:8
Consider your recent thought life, in what ways are your thoughts different than those listed above? What changes do you need to make in the way that you think?
God doesn’t control your thoughts. The devil doesn’t control your thoughts. No one controls your thoughts but you. Why is it sometimes difficult to control our thoughts? How can we deal with unwanted thoughts?
What things in your life might be a source of unwanted thoughts?
Of the emotions—worry, anxiety, insecurity, sadness, and fear—which do you think is most common in our culture? Do you think guys/girls are more prone struggle with one of these? Why? Which of these do you fight most often?
Take a moment to share a time when, through prayer, you experienced “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).