Secrecy in Seeking Christ

Have you ever practiced the discipline of secrecy? You may not have thought of this as a discipline.

The discipline of secrecy, as Jesus taught and modeled it, is intentionally hiding your prayers or good deeds to please only your Father in heaven, “who is in secret”; it’s the practice of denying ourselves the attention and admiration from others that we like and instead to keep our righteousness quiet (Matthew 5:15, 6:1).

Jesus Practiced Secrecy
Repeatedly Jesus went away by himself to “lonely places” to pray to the Father in secret (Luke 5:16).

When Jesus entered towns he often tried to keep it a secret that he was there, but of course he couldn’t (Mark 7:24). In town after town the crowds swelled around him and he taught them and ministered to them but then he withdrew and went on to another town.

When Jesus healed people he often told them to keep it a secret (Mark 1:44).

He called himself “the Son of Man,” which although it was a Messianic term was a lot more humble then trumpeting that he was “the Son of God.” Peter was the first to confess that Jesus was indeed the Son of God but then Jesus told him not to tell anyone yet. And also after his transfiguration he told the disciples not to tell anyone about seeing his glory.

Jesus showed people his divinity in personal, transformational ways and let them come to their own realization that he was God incarnate, come to be their Lord and Savior.

Secrecy is a discipline of abstinence or self-denial. Denying ourselves attention and praise is a powerful practice for soul transformation. It’s way to help us get free of people-pleasing and managing of what people think of us.
It make space for a deeper engagement of love and dependence upon God.

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