Take No Thought, Luke 12:11-12

"And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."

     So often we sit and think about what we are going to do, what we are going to say, and how we will act if and when different situations come into our lives. We try to prepare ourselves mentally for the tasks ahead, but this cannot always help (and in fact, usually doesn't), because there is no way we can know what awaits us in the future.
     In this passage, Jesus is referring to the disciples being persecuted after His death, resurrection, and departure from earth. He tells them that when persecution comes, don't ponder what to say or how to act-- the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak at that moment. And it is always best to let this be so, whether in persecution, sharing our faith, approaching a brother who is in sin, or any thing, really. It saves us much undue stress to not take thought for the future, helps us to keep our minds focused on God (for we are trusting in Him to lead us every step of the way), and causes us to have the best response to any given situation that is possible-- for it is not we who are responding, but the Holy Spirit in and through us.
     This verse really can apply to anything we might face, good or bad. For example, if you are playing worship music at a church on a certain night, and feel as though you ought to assure yourself of the music you are going to play-- Don't! Make sure you have been a good steward and have practiced as much as you can, and leave the rest up to God. Take no thought about what you will do or say and so on before the situation-- You will only stress yourself out! You will end up acting in your flesh, and God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth-- not in the flesh.