A couple of weeks ago, in our sermon series on Proverbs, we covered Proverbs 4:23…
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
After the message, at least a few people mentioned to me that they had never considered the Christian’s need to guard his or her own heart. For that reason, as a follow up, I’d like to commend to you one of the most impactful works I’ve ever read, a book by John Flavel entitled Keeping the Heart. In it, Flavel squeezes many helpful insights and gives many practical instructions from Proverbs 4:23. According to the author, to keep the heart “is carefully to preserve it from sin, which disorders it; and maintain that spiritual frame which fits it for a life of communion with God.”
In the first section, Flavel describes what it means to keep the heart. This is where one may learn more about how to go about guarding their heart. One example component: “[Keeping the heart] includes earnest supplication and instant prayer for purifying and rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered the heart.” I have found this to be true. The sooner I address my sin with the Lord, repenting, seeking forgiveness, asking to be cleansed of it, the weaker is it’s hold on me. Conversely, the longer I delay in going to the Lord to reconcile, the more sin gains on me. Flavel offers many such insights regarding how to guard the heart.
He also gives many reasons why a believer should keep the heart. Flavel includes this one: “The comfort of our souls much depends upon the keeping of our hearts; for he that is negligent in attending to his own heart is, ordinarily, a great stranger to assurance, and the comforts following from it.” In other words, those who lack assurance may do so because of laxity in guarding their hearts.
Another reason to keep the heart: “The stability of our souls in the hour of temptation depends upon the care we exercise in keeping our hearts.” Some are such easy marks under temptation because they leave their hearts perpetually unguarded. Flavel contends that those who by God’s grace and strength do the work of keeping the heart will find themselves enjoying greater victory over temptation.
Flavel further describes those seasons in which a believer must be especially on guard. Those seasons include—among others—times of prosperity, adversity, abuse, distraction, doubt and spiritual darkness, and sickness and death. Each season has its own unique dangers; therefore, the believer is wise to recognize not only the season but it’s particular temptations. This is the third section and the bulk of the book.
In the final section, the author seeks to “apply the subject.” The book is so practical from the first page that it seems almost odd for Flavel to suggest that application has only just begun. And yet, as Puritans tend to do, he manages to find still more helpful insights and instructions. In the end, this conclusion seems intended to convince the reluctant to give themselves completely to the task of keeping the heart.
Some modern believers are put off by Puritan writings, finding them almost unreadable. It is true that some Puritan authors are more challenging to read than others. In my view, John Flavel is easily on the more readable end of the spectrum. Even if he wasn’t, the content of this book is so helpful it would be worth the work. (Still, there are modern English versions available.) The original Flavel is relatively easy to read and this book is quite manageable in length. In my view, the length should not be a major consideration as this is not the kind of book you would want to plow through. It is best read in short bursts, leaving ample time for consideration and follow through.
I highly recommend Flavel’s Keeping the Heart for all believers.
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