I’m tired again. I recognize that what I’m thinking isn’t as clear as what goes through my head after a good night’s rest and a good cup of coffee. The key is not that I have weird thoughts when I’m tired, but recognizing the thoughts as weird.
Maybe that’s a bit of what it means to take every thought captive. Maybe it’s recognizing that they aren’t healthy and they aren’t from God. God is not the author of confusion nor of thoughts that stir up anxiety within us.
If you catch yourself thinking those unhealthy thoughts, maybe the thing to do is to take them to God and say, “I know this isn’t from You. Either take it from me or help me to see Your way of thinking in this.”
Also, it helps sometimes to speak God’s promises against these thoughts. Speak them out loud. Name all the verses that show God’s faithfulness. Claim every one of them. Then rest.