Secret Devotion

Give, pray, and fast for God to see - not for applause in the group chat.

Key Concept

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. “Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'] For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.Matthew 6:1-18 NASB1995

• Some good shines publicly; some stays hidden so the left hand does not know what the right is doing.
• Level 1: Some good deeds stay private - give, pray, and fast for God to see, not for applause from other people.
• Level 2: Some good deeds belong in public and some stay private - give, pray, and fast for God to see, not for applause.
• Level 3: Left hand does not know what the right is doing - hidden devotion, public fruit where appropriate.
• Level 4: Because applause rewires motive, secret lanes keep worship aimed at the Father, not the feed.
• Level 5: Some good shines publicly; some stays hidden so the left hand does not know what the right is doing - audience of One, not performance religion.
• Piety for an audience is its own reward - give, pray, fast for the Father who sees in secret.
• Ask Seek Knock names how to pray; this names who the audience is.
• Let Your Light Shine is the public lane - not every act belongs there.
• Free Grace means hidden prayer is not the price of acceptance.

Examples

• I pray with the kids before bed with the door closed - no photo, no caption, just the Father who already knows we are here.
• The player trains at five am without live-streaming shootarounds - the game is the point, not the Strava badge.

Note Relationships