Matthew 6:6 places before us a simple and profound truth: mature spiritual life does not seek spectacle, but intimacy with the Father. If you want fasting to be more than an external discipline, let it arise from the same attitude that Jesus teaches about prayer: go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. Fasting, like silent prayer, is an opportunity to remove the noise of human approval and turn your gaze exclusively to God.
In practice this implies concrete decisions: before beginning a fast, determine your motive before God, prepare your heart with confession and a brief reading of Scripture, and make sure no one turns your discipline into a spectacle. Keep fasting and prayer in the privacy of your relationship with the Lord — not announcing abstentions, not posting sacrifices — but allowing the tension of the flesh to reveal the need for grace and dependence on the Spirit.
Jesus' promise is clear and comforting: the Father who sees in secret will reward you. That reward does not always show itself in visible achievements or human applause, but in inner transformation: a humbled heart, greater sensitivity to the Spirit, clarity in priorities, and the peace that comes only from being known by God. By fasting in secret we learn that ultimate approval and the strength needed for faithfulness come from the Father, not from human recognition.
Today I invite you to begin with a simple step: choose a day, set aside a time, pray in your room and do not announce it; allow the fast to be a return to the simplicity of faith and the joy of being seen by God. Persevere with humility, trusting that He will reward what you do in secret; be encouraged.