Today, I want to sum up our discussion of discipline and secrecy and how it deepens our walk with God. Allow me to offer you two practical steps you can take to employ the power of secrecy in your own life and in your relationships, both with Jesus and others.

First of all, when you do something really great for someone else, keep it a secret. If you’ve never done this before, I encourage you to give it a try. Give a gift to a friend or a stranger, serve in some capacity, or volunteer for a day, but don’t tell anyone. When you do good for another person or for humanity and you keep it a secret, it strengthens your soul. I challenge you to try it and then pay attention to how tempted you are to want somebody to “accidentally” find out about what you did. When you let go of your desire for attention, your soul grows closer to Jesus and you learn what it means to walk by faith as you allow Him to be the one who rewards you. He is proud of you and He will take the good that you’ve done and bring about a harvest far greater than anything you could have imagined!

Secondly, after you move a few good things in your life (like prayer and giving) to a secret place, I encourage you to bring some things out. Make it a point to be vulnerable with your close friends or at least one or two people you trust. Share your doubts, fears, struggles and pain, and let your guard down, evening weeping if you need to. I promise you that moving these parts from secrecy to relationship will free you and allow you to pursue the reward-giver, Jesus, with even greater satisfaction!

Friend, God sees all of you, and there is nothing hidden from Him! He knows your strong and weak points, so stop trying to impress Him with your goodness and repel Him with your “badness.” Allow Jesus into your heart and bring His light to your past, present and future. He has you in His Hand and He will never take away your purpose or destiny. He has turned His mind, face, and heart towards you and has received you with joy! Isn’t that wonderful news?