EP 116: Meditate on Scripture: How Philippians 4 Changed My Anxiety

Summary

In Totality with Megan Ashley — EP 116: Meditate on Scripture: How Philippians 4 Changed My Anxiety

Date: May 19, 2026
Host: Megan Ashley
Guests: Jordan, Nicole, Jay

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and practical episode, Megan Ashley opens up about her recent struggles with anxiety and how meditating on Philippians 4 has transformed her spiritual approach—and helped her find peace amid life's pressures. The discussion moves from honest stories about exhaustion and spiritual growth, to deep insights into the sufficiency of scripture, and practical tips for Christian meditation. Megan and her friends blend spiritual wisdom with humor and authentic vulnerability, making this episode both instructive and highly relatable for Christian listeners.

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Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Anxiety, Overwhelm, and Life’s Demands

• Personal Overload: Megan shares candidly about feeling overwhelmed by her many responsibilities—seminary, parenting, moving, writing a book, ministry, speaking engagements, and day-to-day life pressures.
• The Emotional Weight: She confesses that focusing on her endless to-do list only fuels her anxiety and stalls her productivity (09:53).

2. Rediscovering Philippians—and the Power of Meditation

• Led by the Spirit to Philippians: After a particularly anxious week, Megan feels spiritually prompted to read Philippians, a book she’d known but now experienced anew in a season of personal need (09:53).
• Scripture Revisited: For days, she returns only to Philippians, describing the rereading as “like reading it for the first time” with new layers of encouragement, humility, and freedom from Paul’s words.

3. Philippians 4:6–7 — The Core Message on Anxiety

• Breaking Down the Verses:

  • “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.”

• Essence of Thanksgiving: The “thanksgiving” part is vital—not just praying and asking, but being grateful that God listens, whether or not he answers as you want (12:00).

• Notable Quote:

  “It’s not so much that you’re thanking him that you’re going to get the things you’re requesting, but you’re thanking him because you’re making your requests known to a God who is the God of the universe...who actually hears you, who cares for you.” (15:58)

• Making ALL Requests Known: Megan emphasizes the plural “requests”—you’re invited to bring all anxieties, big and small, to God without limitation.

4. Visualizing God’s Peace as a Guard

• Practical Visualization:
  • Megan imagines physically handing her anxieties to God in prayer, visualizing all her worries in her hands and placing them into God’s hands (24:12).
  • The “guard” of Philippians 4:7 is a military term—God’s peace is an impenetrable military force around your heart and mind, protecting from spiritual attack, unlike the temporary “peace” from things like substances or unhealthy habits (28:01).
• Memorable Moment: Megan jokes about what it looks like when she tries to guard her heart with things other than God’s peace:

  “I imagine Soho—who's my maltipoo—guarding my heart and my mind… Imagine Satan demons… She's flipped sides! ...The peace you tried to get in other ways, in comparison to God's peace—you’re actually about to fail. So you’re on his side, correct?” (28:48)

5. Living out the Instruction, Not Just Reading It

• Scripture as Command, Not Suggestion:

  “Don’t take these scriptures and read them as if they’re just suggestion or poetic language. … These are instructions. Don’t worry about anything, period.” (34:24)

• Actively Applying by Faith: Don’t just try it once—put it into daily action, trusting that God will honor your faith and command (34:58).

6. Philippians 4:8 — Focusing Your Mind

• What to Dwell On: Megan reads, “Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any moral excellence and anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things.”
• Replace Negative Thoughts: The instruction is to deliberately ruminate on good—especially on Christ, who is himself praiseworthy and pure (32:34).

7. Meditating on Scripture vs. Just Reading

• Meditation is Depth, Not Speed:

  • Let the Holy Spirit guide you to what to read and when.
  • Sometimes it’s a whole book, sometimes a single verse—stay as long as needed until it sinks in (38:25).
  • Pray for illumination, guidance, and a humble heart before reading. Megan’s approach often involves journaling observations, asking “what does that mean?”, and praying the Scripture into her daily life (39:02).

• Community & Consistency:

  • Share what stands out with friends or accountability partners—you’ll benefit from different perspectives (41:48).
  • Jay recommends keeping powerful verses visible (like on your phone’s wallpaper) and using Scripture to “preach to yourself in the moment you need it” (41:11).

• Sacred Attitude:

  “I treat this sacred. This is a sacred thing. I don’t just open it like it’s the God dang Twilight books… These are the words of God and so we should treat it like that and have some reverence and honor when we read it.” (45:01)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “By faith I am going to make my request known to you, because your word says that when I do that I receive the peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard my heart and my mind. So by faith I’m going to do this, because that’s what your word says.” (34:58)
• “Tell God what you need. Tell Him what you need. … He’s giving you an open invitation to tell him what you need. And his peace will guard your heart and mind. It’s literally that simple.” (31:54)
• “Sometimes it can literally just be one verse. Be anxious for nothing. Okay. Loaded. You know, like, for real, loaded. Like, dang, nothing. Like, nothing. … Be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is nudging you.” (39:02)
• “This is the living word. That—it changes me. It changes my life. This is the sufficient word of God, right? That cuts through my intentions and my motives and gets right to the heart of who I am. It exposes me, and it also allows me to know the true and living God.” (45:01)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Dealing with Overwhelm & Anxiety: 09:53 – 11:00
• Why Philippians? Being Led by the Spirit: 11:00 – 13:30
• Philippians 4:6–7 Deep Dive: 15:58 – 25:30
• Visualizing God’s Peace as Military Defense: 24:12 – 29:40
• Temporary vs. True Peace: 28:48 – 31:44
• Scripture as Instruction, Not Suggestion: 34:24 – 35:00
• Philippians 4:8 and Mindset Shift: 32:32 – 34:24
• Practical Meditation on the Word: 38:25 – 45:01

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Practical Takeaways

• Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead and illuminate before reading
• Sit with scripture until its meaning unfolds—don’t rush; let it speak
• Make all your requests known to God, with thanksgiving for access to Him
• Visualize giving anxieties and requests to God in prayer, trusting in His peace
• Share scripture and insights with friends and your faith community
• Treat God’s word as sacred, not just another book or checklist

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Final Reflection

Megan’s vulnerability and real-life examples underscore her message: The peace of God isn’t found in rushing or in worldly substitutes, but in showing up faithfully, honestly, and expectantly before God—and letting scripture saturate your anxiety. Philippians 4 offers both a command and a promise: Pray, dwell on Christ, and God’s peace will guard your heart and mind.

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Not to Be Missed

• “It’s as simple as that. Tell God what you need… and his peace will guard your heart and your mind. It’s literally that simple.” (31:54)
• “Don’t take these scriptures and read them as if they’re just a suggestion or poetic language… These are instructions.” (34:24)
• “I treat this sacred. This is a sacred thing… I don’t just open it like it’s the God dang Twilight books.” (45:01)

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For more encouragement, access to Megan’s Bible studies, and to connect with the “In Totality” community, join the Village on Patreon.

Transcript

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

What's up, family? Before we jump into today's episode, I want to share something close to my heart. Our In Totality Patreon community, the Village. If you ever listen to the podcast and you thought, wow, I really wish there was more. This is exactly why I created this space. You'll receive early access to every episode, so while others are hearing it for the first time, you'll already be watching it and soaking it in. But it's not just that. You'll also get access to the In Totality docuseries, which is like my vlog, which shows what I do when I'm not on the podc. And that's not it. You'll also be the first to know about merch drops, events and opportunities to connect in real life. One of my favorite parts is our Bible study and book clubs where we're walking through scripture together and encouraging one another in the faith. On Patreon, we are building a community that truly desires a relationship with the Lord, pursues truth, and supports one another. And I would love for you to be a part of that. So if you want more, come join the village on Patreon. The link is in the description and I can't wait to see you.

[Jordan]

Foreign.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

The Lord had led me to the book of Philippians. The Lord is saying, make all your requests known to me. Who do you know in your life right now that says, make your request known? Tell me. Can't nobody call my phone and say that. Maybe my mama. I have tried to use other things to bring me peace. Use your imagination. I've tried it. I'm a sinner. I've sinned. It's his peace that surpasses all. Understanding will guard your heart and your mind. All of this is like you. I'm entrusting myself to you, Lord. And by faith, I believe that you are going to do what you said you're going to do when you're wanting to meditate on God's word. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate it and ask the Holy Spirit to humble you as you're reading the Word. I treat this sacred. This is a sacred thing. I don't just open it like it's the God. Dang Twilight books. Welcome back to another episode of In Totality. You're going to have to bear with us. I nor Jordan have had any sleep, so we're on episode three of the day. I am doing my best. Okay? Jay's doing stuff. Nicole's here with Diesel Pants. We're all doing our best. Okay? So just please, just don't mind us. But I do want to talk to you guys about what happened at the Knicks game. Oh, we took.

[Nicole]

What spiritual happened at the Knicks game?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Nothing spiritual happened at the Knicks game. We went to the Knicks game for Eli's 16th birthday, and it was really, really fun. Like, that's all he wanted to do for his 16th birthday, was go to the Knicks game. And so something really funny happened. We're sitting there at the pre game, like, where the shoot. Where the players just shoot around or whatever. And, you know, people start coming in, different celebrities start coming in. And Jordan goes. Jordan goes, look, it's Busta Rhymes. Look, like, is that that girl? There go Busta Rhymes. And I'm looking and I'm looking and I'm looking, and I'm like, where? And I'm looking dead at Tracy Morgan. Jordan thought that Tracy Morgan was busting rhymes. I said, Jordan, from afar. He got cheeks. He got.

[Nicole]

What is it? Like?

[Jordan]

I think the hairline and, like, the

[Nicole]

puggy face, like, fell from afar. I just.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

First of all, Busta Rhymes is mad taller. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Okay, now that.

[Jordan]

Was he sitting?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

No, he wasn't sitting. He was walking on the court. And she go, look there go Busta Rhymes. Look there go Busta Rhymes. And I'm like, I'm look and I'm looking Tracy Morgan dead in the face. Like, Tracy.

[Nicole]

His eyes were just low. And y' all know, like, Busta, especially since he lost weight, he got that fade like him and Tracy Busta lost weight.

[Jordan]

Yeah. Compared to before. One thing I'mma do is support Jordan.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Jordan]

I said, Jason, one thing I'mma do is support Jordan.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Oh, my God.

[Jay]

Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah. You lost weight. Good for man. Listen. Oh, my gosh, we are drained. And so just bear with us. I want. I really do want to be, like, super spiritual and deep and, like, serious. But I'm doing my best. But that was a really. We had a really good time in New York. Like, New York was a. It was a fun trip. We had a really good time.

[Nicole]

If y' all want to watch it, join the Village on Patreon.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah, should be out by now. Part one and part two should be out by now. Really good time. We had a great time. If you haven't already, go and join Patreon. Go and join the Patreon community. We have Bible studies. You get the episodes early. We have the vlog. We have all types of stuff on the Village. First, access to merch, which we have some merch, hopefully coming

[Jay]

Excuse me. Sorry, y'.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

All. If there's, like, a cough drop company or. I don't. Happy to sp. Jay always got some type of flim going on in his throat. He always. So if anybody wants to sponsor, I don't know, some tea, something. I don't know. Anyway, I don't. What was I talking about?

[Nicole]

Our merch.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Oh, merch. You would have to ask Jordan and Nicole if it's actually happening this summer, but I think we'll have merch.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

In the summer.

[Jordan]

I don't see why not.

[Nicole]

Yeah, we definitely have a special little drop coming soon or whatever this is.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

This episode is. We are just here. I'm like, oh, y'.

[Jordan]

All.

[Nicole]

Okay, Finally. What would it be like? It wouldn't be spring, but like a summer collection.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I think it'll be summer.

[Nicole]

Finally. Something for the summertime. Not so much folly.

[Jordan]

Fall.

[Nicole]

But we still have the fall pieces.

[Jordan]

But, yeah, coming this summer.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

And we have some. We actually. This. This collection. We got some unexpected accessories.

[Nicole]

I'm actually a lot of unexpected accessories.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah, we got some unexpected accessories, which I'm excited about.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I'm. I'm excited about the whole vibe of it all. We brought back stuff, but it sold out, so there's no point in promoting it.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah. Them Disciple. I'm sorry if y'. All. If y' all didn't get the Disciple windbreaker. I. I'm sorry. They sold out within.

[Jordan]

Cause I'm like, Even I couldn't get the.

[Titi Sham or Titi Neal (from Favorite Aunties podcast)]

She.

[Nicole]

I'm sitting.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

She.

[Jordan]

Literally, I'm sitting here shaking my head.

[Nicole]

Y' all didn't get him. Nicole looked at me.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

She said, nicole didn't get one.

[Nicole]

Mm. Mm.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Oh.

[Nicole]

First drop or second?

[Jordan]

Yeah, I was. Every time. It's like, I'm just too slow.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

It's okay, Nicole. You don't have to get in line.

[Nicole]

She got her jersey right here.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

You could have just. You could have just. Tomorrow.

[Jordan]

Well, I think it's dope, so, you know, I want to support.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Sweet. That's all I should announce, right?

[Jordan]

What have you been up to lately?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

What have I been up to lately? I wrote, started. Haven't finished my paper.

[Nicole]

It actually is finished.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I don't think it is.

[Nicole]

You just have to revise it.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I don't think it's finished.

[Nicole]

Okay. He said you're missing.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

He said, you are not arguing anything. He was like, you know the saying, like, you're preaching to the choir. That's what you're doing. So I'm writing a paper. I'm in theology school. If you guys don't know. I'm in. I'm in seminary and I am writing a paper arguing the sufficiency of Scripture. The problem in my paper is that I'm actually not arguing. I'm not engaging with any opposing argument. I'm just saying that Scripture is sufficient. And that's not technically the assignment. So the parts that I'm agreeing with Scripture is sufficient. He said, I did a good job, but I. I need to find something to argue. So technically, the paper isn't done, but that is what I've been up to.

[Jordan]

And you're in school, and then you have, like, some other writing that you're working on. How's that going?

[Nicole]

Her book.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

The thing about writing the book is, is that it will get written when it gets written. You know what I mean? Like, the Lord knew when he called me to do it when it would get completed and when it would get finished. When it comes to writing it, it's like I could take 12 months to write it, or I could take six months to write whatever. I think instead of getting caught up in, like, the timing of when I'm writing it and how long it takes me to write it, I'm just trying to be faithful on the content of what I'm writing and not so much the timing of what I, you know, when I'm getting it done, but just, like, making sure that whatever I'm writing is just pleasing to the Lord. Like, I'm writing what you want me to write. And I think that if I'm entrusting myself to him, like, before I signed the contract to write the book, he already knew when the book would be finished, what it was going to be in it, all the things, your paper

[Nicole]

that was going to come at the

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

same time, actually everything. And I'm not even going to get into all the details of things that have been happening in the last couple months, but one thing after another after another. There's just been constantly there's been, or consistently there's been things happening. Anyway, it actually leads me in what I wanted to talk to you guys about today. But, like, I think that if I start to think on the timing of, like, okay, I got six months to write this book. In the meantime of six months to write the book, I have to write a paper, I have to move. I have to get my kids enrolled in school. I have to. I have speaking engagements, and I have Bible study, and I have episodes to record. And I still gotta be a mom, and bills still gotta get paid, and the team still's gotta get paid. And if I start to really think on all of the things that I have to do, I am going to be filled with anxiety. And all that's going to produce out of me is nothing. You're going to open the book, it's going to say, I tried. I'm sorry, you know what I'm saying? But it brings me into what? Recently I've been praying and I felt like the Lord had led me to the book of Philippians. I read Philippians. Like, I think we've all read Philippians, right? There's so much in Philippians is, like, memorable, right? Philippians, you know, 4, 13. I do all things through Christ who strengthened me. Or Philippians 2, where it talks about Christ who existing in the form of God, not considering equality with God a thing to be exploited. But it said he emptied himself. Like Philippians has all the things that a lot of us just quote all the time, right? Or, I don't know, do nothing from selfish ambition and work out your salvation with fear and trembling and just all the things. So anyway, I. It's not that I haven't read the book of Philippians before, but I felt led. Like, when I was in my prayer time with the Lord, I. Right before I got to my little prayer corner, I had felt really led to just read Philippians, right? This was a day. I think this was last week, but this was a day that, like, my heart felt really heavy. I felt really anxious. I felt really overwhelmed with circumstances and situations and all the things. And I felt like the Lord just asked me need to read, not ask me, because he ain't asking me, but he told me to read or I felt led to read Philippians. And so I'm reading it and I'm just, like, in awe. I feel like I was reading it for the first time. Like, I was observing how I don't know if the right word is, like, it's more of the up, more upbeat letters that Paul has written. But it's so like, I don't know, it's encouraging and uplifting. You know what I mean? Felt really encouraging. And I felt like there are two things that I really observed in this is like, one was Paul's humility. Like, it felt like there was a lot of humility and what he was saying in the sense of, like, number one, his gratitude towards the church, right? And like, the way that they have encouraged him and him just being thankful for them. That part. And then him even talking about. He talks about how we do nothing for selfish ambition From. From selfish ambition, but, like, considering someone else above ourselves. Then he talks about, like, he's like, listen, if there is anybody that could boast, I'm him. You know what I'm saying? Circumcised of the eighth day Jew, of Jews, this, this and that, right? Like, he talks about all these things, but he's like, I consider all of it a loss because I've gained Christ, right? And so there's just all of this humility, language. But not only that. Like, I have read this book every single day since last week. I have not read anything else. I just continue to read it. The next time I read it, I felt like I observed and sense so much freedom in the way that. That Paul was speaking again, kind of going back to what I was talking about before with, like, all the things that I have to do. I finally get over to Philippians 4, and I kind of was stuck at verse 6 and 7 for a while. And I. This is not a scripture that I'm unfamiliar with, and this may not be even be a scripture that you're unfamiliar with, but I. There's something about reading scripture and there's something to be said about meditating on Scripture. And there's a difference, right? There's a difference between I read it and, like, meditating on it, right? It's almost like I tasted it. Like, I took a taste and like I. I chewed it up, I digested it. Like, you know, that's like the difference between, like, just reading it and meditating on it. Philippians 4. 6 says, and this again, should be a scripture that. That we know. But it says, don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in. In Christ Jesus. What really stuck with me when I read this is when you get to verse seven, right? And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus. But before you can get to verse seven, you gotta. You gotta work through verse six. And I started thinking about all the things that I was kind of worried about, because in some translations it says, like, this translation says, don't worry about anything. But there are some translations that say, be anxious for nothing, right? And I was working through, like, man, I'm starting to feel really anxious. I'm starting to feel like I have a lot on my plate, and I'm really not sure how to prioritize because everything feels urgent. So I'm really not even sure how to prioritize anything. Cause everything feels like it's top priority. And so what was encouraging in reading this is that, number one, Paul is saying, don't worry about anything. Anything that. That is giving us very specific language that there is nothing that you should be worried about. And I think about all the things that. That are on my priority list. And he's saying, Paul is saying, okay, look at all the things that are. That are making you anxious and worried. Don't worry about any of it. There's not one thing on that list that you should be worried about or that you should be anxious about. Nothing. Be anxious for nothing. Don't worry about anything. But in everything. So we have. Don't worry about anything. And then we have. But in everything. So in everything, in all the things right through prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving. So it's not enough that we just pray and it's not enough that we just petition, but we do both of those things with Thanksgiving. And I think that the Thanksgiving part is so important. And we forget that we just. We just pray and we petition and we ask and we beg. But. But I don't know. The Thanksgiving to me applies. There's trust, like expecting I expect something because I'm already thanking you for what I haven't gotten. So there's a trust that. And here's the thing. Before I even get. Let me, let me finish. Before I even get to that with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. Now we'll stop there. Request with an S. I think that we skip over that. And I think that that's such a beautiful and important and gracious thing that the Lord is saying, make all your requests known to me. Not one, but all of them. That S implies that there's not a limit. What are your requests? Make them known and do that in prayer, in petition with Thanksgiving. And it's not so much that you're thanking him, that you're going to get the things that you're requesting, but you're thanking him because you are making your requests known to a God who is the God of the universe, who actually hears you, who cares for you. So it's not so much that I'm going into this prayer and I'm petitioning the Lord and I'm making my request known to the Lord so that he can give me everything that I'm asking for. But I'm thanking Him in my petition and in my request because he's God and he hears me and he cares for me and he's even inviting me in to make what? Who do you know in your life right now that says what? What? Make your request known. Tell me. Can't nobody call my phone and say that. Maybe my mama. But, like, who can? Who can you call? And they're like, what? Do you make your request known? Go for it. Nobody. And so the God of the universe, almighty God, all powerful God, sovereign one, holy righteous one, is saying, hey, make all your requests known to me. Tell me all of it. What do you want? Tell me. And tell me with Thanksgiving. And again, I feel like this is extremely important to say. It's not so that you can get the things or that the request will be made. I'm not saying that the request won't be made. Maybe it will be, but maybe it won't be in the way that you want it to be made. But you're praying to a God who hears you. That in and of itself deserves Thanksgiving. Period. Would you say, okay, ladies, listen, I have to tell you about this because it's actually something I didn't realize I needed until I tried it. Skims just dropped their new everyday cotton collection, and they're calling it revolutionary. And honestly, I get why. You probably heard me say before that what you wear underneath your clothes really does set the tone for your day. 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Smooth, comfortable, no bunching, no adjusting, just clean and effortless. It's honestly giving. You know what? Just replace the whole drawer energy. Because once you experience this level of comfort, everything else just feels unnecessary. Shop Everyday cotton and all of my favorite bra and [e-mail] com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show at the dropdown menu that follows. All right, guys, back to the conversation. Believe it or not, there are some believers in the Christian faith who spend years thinking that they're broken or failing God because they're struggling with unwanted, distressing thoughts. But this isn't a spiritual failure. These thoughts could be due to a common but overlooked condition, ocd. I'm talking about thoughts that interrupt worship, like, am I praying right? Will God forgive me if I make a mistake in my prayer? I need to start over. I need to do it perfectly this time. Or maybe a blasphemous image that pops into your head that makes you feel feel like you sin just for thinking it. Unwanted thoughts like these can be a sign of a type of religious ocd, also known as scrupulosity ocd. It's a form of OCD that can turn your faith into a source of constant guilt, doubt and fear. But because the condition is still widely misunderstood, a lot of people don't even know that it can show up in this way or even that it can center around their faith. But OCD isn't just about being neat or organized like most stereotypes are suggest. OCD latches on to what you care about most, causing a cycle of distressing, intrusive thoughts and behaviors done to get rid of the anxiety they create, like praying until it feels just right or trying to solve or figure out your thoughts. But any relief of these type of behaviors is short lived. So the cycle begins again. Many people silently struggle with religious ocd, thinking it's some sort of personal failure or lack of faith, where that may not be the case. It's a common type of OCD and highly treatable with the right kind of specialized therapy. And that's where no CD comes in. No CD is the world's leading OCD treatment provider. All of these licensed therapists are trained in erp, or Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, the most effective treatment for ocd. NO CD therapists deeply understand ocd, so they know that these thoughts don't mean anything about you. In live virtual sessions, they'll help you break free from OCD's grip while honoring your faith so you can get back to focusing on what matters the most. No CD is covered by insurance for over 155 million Americans, and they provide support between sessions. So you're never going at this alone. If you think you might be struggling with any kind of OCD. Don't wait. Head over to nocd.com and book a free 15 minute call with their team today and start reclaiming your thoughts from OCD. That's no cd.com, that's n o c

[Jordan]

d.com that it's like releasing it.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah, I think it kind of goes back to the scripture of cashier cares on the Lord for he cares for you. What? And I've had to visualize myself actually doing it. And I'm going to go back to Philippians and give a visualization of what I've been visualizing in my mind. But even with casting my cares, I've had to visualize like in my prayer time, I've had to like get before the Lord and visualize the cares in my hands, my actual hands, all of my cares, all of my worries, all of the stress, whatever. Visualize that in my hand and visualize myself actually placing it in the Lord's hands as I'm praying. Like, here are the things that I am carrying that are weighing me down, right? And the same thing with, with your anxieties, right? The same thing with your requests and your petitions. Here they are, they're in my hands and I'm giving them to you. I'm placing them in your hands. And I'm not just placing in your hands like here, you know what I'm saying? Like, like whatever. I, I'm placing them in your hands with, with, with thanksgiving. Because I know you're going to take care of that. You're going to take care of that. Moving on to verse seven. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is not just any peace. This is the peace of God. And if you don't know who he is, then you don't appreciate the peace, right? So the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, which means that there is going to be a peace that he gives you that it just doesn't make sense that while you're in the situation that you're in that you have peace. It doesn't. It doesn't make sense. How are you going through all this hell? How are you suffering in this way? I can't believe that you're going through all this grief and yet you have peace. That's the type of peace that surpasses all understanding, right? Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now this word guard in the Greek is this isn't like just guard. This isn't just like a, whatever this is a military term in the Greek. And so I was talking to Jordan about this last night, this morning.

[Nicole]

I don't know this part was for sure this morning.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

So I was talking to her about this this morning, and I. Again, I have to visualize. Okay, so go with me, y'. All. We're gonna visualize. I have tried to use other things to bring me peace, right? I have tried. Use your imagination. I've tried it. Okay, hello, I'm sinner. I've sinned. Use your imagination, whatever that could be. And we all have done things to try to give us peace. Alcohol, weed, relationships, sex, working out, advice. It doesn't matter. We've all tried different ways to. To gain peace, right? Because this word in. In the scripture, this word guard is a. Is a military word in the Greek. I started to look at. I envisualize in my mind. Here's my heart and here's my mind and surrounding it. If I go about it the way scripture says, right? The peace of God that's guarding my heart and my mind. I thought about every military force in the world.

[Nicole]

Fort Knox.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I mean, Fort Knox, you hear me? I'm talking about. I want everybody. Give me the U.S. give me Israel. I don't know. Give me Korea, Russians, Russia. I. I don't. I don't think I asked for Australia because I don't ever hear about them fighting. I think they really just be minding their business. But whoever has a strong, give me them, right? And I started to picture, like, a military force around my heart, in my mind. And then I started to think about what that picture would look like with something else that's not the peace of God. Things that I've gone to. To give me peace, that give me temporary peace. And you know what? I imagine Soho.

[Nicole]

That was a funny imagination last night.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I imagine Soho, who's my maltipoo, guarding my heart and my mind.

[Nicole]

She didn't have to catch that stray bringing some peace.

[Jay]

That is a stray that she did

[Nicole]

not have to catch guarding anything.

[Jay]

She's shaking.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Imagine Satan demons.

[Nicole]

She's in his arms by now.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

She has flipped sides. She's over there. Do you understand what I'm saying? So that's. But you have to. You have to understand that the peace that you tried to get in other. In other ways, that's that comparison in comparison to God's peace.

[Nicole]

And that is you flipping sides, correct? Because, like, you can't do it. You're. You're actually about to fail. So you're on his side, correct?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Think about this. Think about going through all the hell in your life, right? And you're worried and you're anxious. Think about all that. And you decide. You decide to pray, petition, make your request like you decide. I'm going to actually lean into the Lord. You don't think the enemy is coming after you with everything he. He could try to come after you with. And the only thing that is going to protect you is the peace of God. But these other things that you try to use to give you peace, they're not going to protect you. It might feel that way temporarily, but once that high wears off, once that buzz wears off, once that relationship, whatever, once those things wear off, there's nothing really guarding you and protecting you from attacking. What's going to protect you? Again, that word guard is a military word. So what's going to protect you and shield you from the arrows of the enemy, right, is the peace of God. It's his peace that surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind. So when the enemy is trying to tell you all types of lies that God doesn't love you, nobody loves you. All the. All the craziness that the enemy tries to torment your mind with, it won't be able to penetrate. It won't be able to penetrate your heart and penetrate your mind and corrupt your mind and corrupt your heart because you have God's peace guarding you. This. This to me is so maybe that's just for me and where I'm at right now, but this is so important because there are so many things that I am tempted to be anxious about. There are so many thoughts that are tempting me to believe that God is not with me. But I'm just learning how to do exactly what Scripture tells me to do, which is make my request known. I'm just going to be honest with the Lord. I'm going to tell him everything that I need. Everything.

[Jay]

That's exactly what the NLT version says. It says, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

That's. It's as simple as that. Tell God what you need. Tell Him. Tell him what you need. I need this. I need that. Here's my request here. Here's my request there. Tell Him. He's giving you an open invitation to tell him what you need. And his peace will guard your heart and your mind. It's literally that simple. But moving on. And I wasn't even going to talk about this, but moving On. Because I do. I do think this is part of. I. I think this is also important to continue.

[Nicole]

Verse 8.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Yeah, that was. That's very. You didn't read that.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

But. No, but verse eight says, finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, Dwell on these things. It's literally telling you what to think about. Do you know what dwell means? That's like ruminating over it. Like, I'm just going to keep thinking over and over and over and over and over again. And the second a negative thought comes in, I'm going to immediately replace it with another with a good thought. And I'm going to think and think and think on it and think on it and think on it. And truthfully, the only thing that is honorable and just and pure and lovely and commendable and excellent and praiseworthy is who? Christian. This is another open invitation to think. Think about Christ. I just ripped my Bible. Think about Him. Instead of thinking about my circumstances, instead of thinking about the things that are making me anxious, I'm going to make my request known. I'm going to do it with Thanksgiving. I'm going to experience the peace of God guarding my heart and my mind. And when other temptations come for me to think on things, I'm going to just start thinking on Christ. I'm gonna just think about him because he's praiseworthy, he's honorable, he's commendable, he's pure. I'm just gonna think on him and keep doing that. Don't take these scriptures and. And read them as if they're like. I don't even know what's the word for that? Like.

[Jordan]

Like, as if they're just like a suggestion.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah, I think it's suggestion. Or think that it's just like poetic language.

[Jay]

Yeah. It's not just literature. Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Y. Yeah. It's. It's like, this is. This is how we have to live.

[Jordan]

Yeah. It's instruction.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

It's an instruction. This isn't like Paul saying, like, oh, yeah, you know what I would do? These are instructions. Don't worry about anything, period.

[Jay]

Instead, do this

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

and then do this, and this will happen. Like, it's. It's not a suggestion. Take that stuff serious. And don't. Just. Don't. Just try it one time. Put it to action with faith. And I was just about to say by faith. By faith, I am going to make my request known to you, because your word says that when I do that, I receive the peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard my heart and my mind. So by faith I'm going to do this, because that's what your word says. The righteous live by faith. And so don't I. I don't know, just don't. If there are things that are weighing you down, things that are making you anxious, all the things, and you're just like, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Go over to Philippians, read verse or chapter four, all the way through chapter eight and just commit to that. Just start there, commit to that, commit and then wait on the Lord. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, do the thing and wait on the Lord. I really do believe that if you do it by faith, you will actually receive the peace of God and you will actually experience being less anxiety driven. And ultimately, because you're entrusting all of this is like you. I'm entrusting myself to you, Lord. I'm entrusting myself to your Word. I'm entrusting myself to what you're saying. I'm entrusting myself to you. And I. And I. And by faith, I believe that you are going to do what you, what you said you're going to do. And that, and that's. I don't know, that's literally it. That's where I am right now. When, when I started to think through all the stuff that I had to do, I was like, you know what? I'm overwhelmed. And I felt like the Lord was like going over to Philippians and I flipped right on over to 4 and that's where we are. So I'm just making my request known, you know what I mean? I'm just being honest with the Lord about here's the things that I need. Not even just material things, but like emotional things. And like, I need, I need more self control, you know, I need more, you know, I might, I, I think I need a little bit more encouragement in this area.

[Nicole]

I need more faith.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I need more faith. Yeah, I need more, I need more humility, you know, I, I need more what, whatever it is, you know, all the way down to like, I need more detergent. You know, I just realized I had ran out. And that's a request. That's fine. Like, I don't care what it is, but I'm saying don't limit it to just one category. Whatever the request is, make it known to him. Pray and Petition with Thanksgiving, and then keep doing that until you receive the peace of God. Like, just keep doing it. And I just believe God will be faithful and he will protect you and guard your heart and your mind.

[Jordan]

Can you touch on a little bit more about meditating on the word versus just reading it? Like, what does that look like?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

I don't know if I have, like, a.

[Jordan]

Like. Like, for example, you know, like, is it reading a scripture and not moving past that.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

That verse until I think that that's where the Lord leads you? Like, for me, like I said, like, I just felt like the Lord was like, be in Philippians. And I. And the next time I came back to my word, I felt like, stay in Philippians. And so as. Like, for me, every day I have pulled it up and I have opened up my journal, and I have written out new observations from that. Do you know what I'm saying? And I.

[Jordan]

And.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

And then after I write out new observations that I see from every time that I'm in it, I start to pray differently about what I just read. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, lord, thank you. That. Thank you for the fact that you. You humbled yourself, right? That you became man. Like, you humbled yourself to the point of becoming man. And, like, just little stuff like that. Like, my prayers started to be different, but, like, really sit through it and ask the text questions and interrogate it and, like, okay, what does that mean? And, you know, sometimes it might be a book. Like, Philippians is not that long. So sometimes it might be a book, but sometimes it could be just one verse. Sometimes it can literally just be one verse. Be anxious for nothing. Okay. Loaded, you know, like, for real loaded. Like, dang, nothing. Like, nothing. It could be one verse. It could be six verses. It could be one chapter. It could be one book. But, like, be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is nudging you when you're reading scripture. And be. Be mindful to pray before reading scripture. Lord, Lord, lead me. Lead me where you want me to go. Like, where do you want to take me today? Do you know what I'm saying? Like I said, for me, I just felt like. I just sensed I was, like, flipping. Okay. I open this thing up, I am boohooing. Boo, boo hooing. So, yeah, I think it's just really not being in a hurry.

[Jordan]

That's a good. Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

You know what I mean? Like, really meditating on it is like, I'm gonna sit here for a while. I'm gonna ask questions. I'm gonna pray through that. I'm gonna read it again and read it again.

[Jordan]

Not reading it just to like, say you did it and get through it, but really spending time, like, setting that time aside to truly have intimacy.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

That's what I would say for me,

[Jay]

meditation, especially when it's like one verse, it can look like just putting it on my wallpaper, on my phone. Like, even when. Even when you're like, your alarm goes off, you have to go through your phone's wallpaper to turn it off. So, like, you're always. It's always there in your vision. You know what I mean? And then you just find yourself thinking about it, you know, like in, like, let's say whatever it is that you're struggling with, if you have a verse that applies to that struggle, you by faith, you speak that out loud in the midst of that struggle, you know, I mean, you have to actually preach the word to yourself, preach the word to your situation. I found power in that for sure.

[Jordan]

Using it on a daily.

[Jay]

Yes.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Truly applying it, I think talking about it too. Like, whatever you're reading, find in your community, friends, somebody, and talk through it with somebody. Like, sometimes it's like, you know, I was reading Philippians the other day, and this really stood. Stood out to me. And. And like, what do you think about that? And then, like, because. Because somebody, a friend or whoever could have a completely alternate perspective. And you're like, you know what? I didn't even think about it. Dang anything, you know, like, they could have a completely different perspective than you. Then it's like, okay, like, now you have more to kind of like meditate on. And so I think. I think meditating on the Word can look at different ways. It could be journaling about it. It could be praying about it. It could be reading it over and over again. It could through. It could be finding that specific scripture and finding a sermon that's about that specific scripture. Just to give you some more context. It could be logging into Logos and being like. They literally have a search thing where you can just put the scripture in and it gives you commentary and cross references. Cross references, everything right in there. And you could just get more. It could be a number of things. But my encouragement is. Is, however the Lord is le. Like, be. Don't just open up God's Word and be like, all right, guess I'm in Lamentations.

[Nicole]

That's why prayer, before you get in your Word is very needed.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Like, correct.

[Nicole]

Ask for his guidance before you, like, you know, enter his mind.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Like, you know, help me. That's good.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

That's good. Ask for his guy. All right. Before you enter his mind. Shoot.

[Jordan]

I remember, like, opening up the. Like, I remember, like, praying and being like, lord, what do you want to show me? And truthfully, being kind of like, okay, you know what I mean? Because it's like. It could feel like you're setting yourself up for placebo, Right? Because you're like, okay, Lord, show me what you want. However, in those moments of doubt, I have, you know, several experiences where, like, I went in with doubt, but at the end of the day, he still actually showed me something.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Yeah. Because I think if you go into it with a pure heart, at the end of the day, this is a living and breathing word.

[Jay]

It's all applicable.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

It's all good.

[Jay]

Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

You know what I'm saying? Even if you go down to the cubics and metrics and the B. Or not. What's the. Where they go, the genealogy. Thank you.

[Nicole]

I am Beatitudes.

[Jay]

Sermon on the mountain.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

That is good, too. It is shooting. But you know what I'm saying? I think all of it is. Is good and profitable. Right. Like, it's all. No matter where you live, no matter where you are. But I think the. The three main things is. It's like praying for the Lord to lead you. Praying for the Holy Spirit to illuminate it.

[Nicole]

Illuminate. That was the first thing that I learned to pray when I became a Christian. Illuminate your word in me, please. Whatever that means. I just know it means. Means lighten up the inside with this book that's on the outside.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Light it up, huh?

[Jay]

Get that spotlight going.

[Nicole]

Yeah, for sure.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Illuminate. So, like, praying that the Holy Spirit will lead. Praying that the Holy Spirit would illuminate and praying that you would have the humility and the, like, a purity in your heart to actually receive. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not just in here to do a task. I'm in here because this is the living word. That. That It. It changes me. It changes my life. This is the sufficient word of God, right? That. That cuts through my intentions and my motives and gets right to the heart of who I am. It exposes me, and it also allows me to know the true and living God. I treat this sacred. This is a sacred thing. I don't just open it like it's the God dang twilight books.

[Nicole]

No, for sure.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

You understand what I'm saying? This is a sacred word. God's word.

[Nicole]

It's not Shakespeare.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

This ain't Shakespeare.

[Jordan]

Yeah.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Huh.

[Nicole]

Kjv have you thinking correct?

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

It ain't CS Lewis. It's just one of my favorite writers. But ain't that these are the words of God and so we should treat it like that and, and have some reverence and honor when we read it. And don't just like get in it and just be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And not saying if you do, the Lord can't do something because he's God. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying as a Christian, right, when you're wanting to meditate on God's word, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate it and ask the Holy Spirit to humble you as you're reading the Word. I think that that is a good way of like getting into meditating on His Word. So anyway, I hope that's good for y'. All. I don't know what else to do. I'm so tired. I just. I'm tired. I don't know what else to do. I am exhausted. But I love you guys and I hope this episode was somewhat light but somewhat heavy at the same time. We love you and we'll see you next week. Hey y', all, thank you so much for being here with me on In Totality this week. If this episode bless you or challenge you or even stirred up something in your spirit, go ahead and like this video, drop a comment below and share with us what part of the conversation really stuck out the most. Share with someone who you think might benefit from watching this. It really helps the show. And listen, if you want more of In Totality on a weekly basis, then join my Patreon community. You get early access to watch In Totality episodes, exclusive behind the scenes content and In Totality docu series which is like my blog, first access to merch drops events, Bible studies where we're walking through the word together, book clubs, and so much more. We're growing in our faith together and I would love for you to be a part of it if you haven't already, subscribe and tap the notification bell so that you never miss an episode Thursdays. You'll find me right here on YouTube in the live chat when the episode premieres. I hope this message encouraged you today. I pray that you find a good godly community and a Bible based church where you're rooted in love and growing. Keep stepping into God's truth In Totality. I'll see you next time.

[Titi Sham or Titi Neal (from Favorite Aunties podcast)]

What's up you guys? It's your favorite aunties from your favorite aunties podcast. I'm Titi Sham. And I'm Titi Neal. And we're exactly that, you know, your favorite aunties. We're young enough to give you a fresh perspective and old enough to have some wisdom, you know, a good key to keep you laughing. Absolutely. You know, we're talking about all things dating, finances, relationships, navigating faith, even some things you may be going through with your friends. And, you know, it's not too many people talking about that. So make sure that you tune in because we're going to give you that relatable content in a way that you're going to love and have some good fun. So make sure to subscribe to your favorite aunties podcast on all platforms. That's Apple, Spotify, even YouTube. We can't wait for you to join our family. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Bye.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

Hi, I am Mandy Moore.

[Jay]

Sterling K. Brown.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

And I'm Chris Sullivan. And we host the podcast that was Us now on Headgum. Each episode, we're going to go into a deep dive from our show. This is us.

[Jay]

That's right.

[Host of In Totality (possibly a woman named Mandy or the main speaker)]

We're going to go episode by episode. We're also going to pepper in episodes with guest stars and writers and casting directors. Are we going to cry? Yes, a little bit. Are we going to laugh a lot? A whole lot.

[Jay]

That's what I'm hoping, man. Listen to. That was Us on your favorite podcast app. Or watch full video episodes on YouTube or Spotify. New episodes every Tuesday.