You post the verse. You caption the fast. You tag a few friends and ask them to hold you accountable, in public, where everyone can see the accountability happening. And somewhere in the middle of curating all of that, an honest question sneaks in. Is this still worship, or has it quietly become a performance?
I am not asking that to shame anybody. I have wrestled with the same question about my own heart more than once in forty years of ministry. But it is worth asking plainly, because Jesus asked it first, and he did not soften it.
In Matthew 6, Jesus opens with a warning that most of us skip past because it does not feel like it applies to us. He says, be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others, to be seen of them. Then he gets specific. He talks about giving, praying, and fasting, and in every case the pattern is the same. He is not against those things. He assumes you will do them. He is after the motive underneath them.
That is the whole point. Jesus never says don't pray, don't give, don't fast. He says don't do it for an audience. Do it for your Father, who sees in secret.
Even though Jesus didn’t have social media, he understood the very urge it stirs. Here’s how that urge often manifests today:
I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll say it again: putting on a show for others to see your sacrifice isn’t how God wants us to live. It’s just a facade. And even when it impresses others, it won’t fool God.
I love the secret place. Sometimes, people hear that and imagine it as a specific spot, like a hidden closet or a remote mountain. But the secret place isn’t about finding a magical location. It’s simply a place where you can focus all your attention on God, without anyone watching or expecting you to perform. It could be your car before heading to work, a few minutes at your kitchen table before everyone else wakes up, or a quiet corner in the barn.
The story is told of two very different individuals engaging in the same spiritual practice. One shares every detail of their fast, seeking encouragement and likes, resulting in a dopamine rush. They have their reward. The other is a single mom fasting quietly in her car during her lunch break, keeping it to herself, because only God needs to know. Both are technically fasting, but only one is truly following what Jesus described in Matthew 6.
Here’s what I want you to remember: the number of people who like what you post or follow your social media pages will never define the depth of your faith. Some of the most profound and consistent relationships with God I’ve ever witnessed have been with people who never shared a word or posted a verse with anyone outside their circle.
If no one claps for how you pray for your kids before school, God knows you’re doing it. If no one ever knows about the fast you finished, God knew you did it. If no one knows how long you sat in the secret place this week wrestling in your spirit about something, God knows every minute of it. Matthew 6 makes a promise about that kind of faith. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly.
That’s quite a significant shift! It’s like the entire reward system is turned on its head, moving from what the world values to what truly matters. The world loves seeing you, but God values your genuine heart.
Here’s a challenge for you this week: pick one act of kindness you do for God, and do it quietly, without sharing it with anyone. It’s not about keeping your faith hidden, but about gently reminding yourself of the true purpose behind your actions.
If you want to keep going deeper into what it means to live a life driven by God's presence instead of an audience, I would love for you to grab a free copy of my ebook, Presence Driven.
Remember..."The Word Will Work, If You Work the Word."
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