Matthew 12:34b says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” This verse actually occurs in the context of Jesus speaking something negative about what comes out of our mouth. But the opposite is also true. Positive words come out of the overflow of a positive heart.

Ever heard of a Freudian slip? That’s when we say something we really didn’t mean to say. Although we didn’t intend to say it, what we say does betray what is in our heart, or in this case, in the recesses of our mind.

The best way to guard what you say is to guard your heart. Prophecy is first of all a heart issue. The things we say are the overflow of our heart. A heart tuned into God will result in a positive overflow.

Guarding your heart is not primarily a gate-keeping function. It is a matter of feeding our souls positive food! When you feed on the word of God, worship Him, enjoy His presence, listen to Him, and sit at His feet, so to speak, we have a steady diet of good food.

Of course, our filters can still be off, and if they are dirty, they will affect what we take in. That’s where healthy community comes into play. Others in the community can let us know when our perspective is off.

Wanting to prophesy well is admirable. Start with what the Bible says about prophecy: “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Cor. 14:3). You can’t go wrong here.

If you keep connecting with God, you will get His perspective and His heart for people. They may not even be the people on your list. He may put other people on your radar.

One of the things we learn in the process of connecting with God’s heart for people is that He doesn’t operate the way we operate. His timing is not necessarily our timing.

If what comes into our heart is positive, coming from God’s heart for His people, then our prophetic words will be an overflow of that.

By Ralph Veenstra