Click to Play
1 plays
Sign in to like or dislike songs
“Secrets of the Heart” takes us into one of the most searching areas of Christian life: why we do what we do. Not merely our actions, but our motives. Not merely what others see, but what God sees.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “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.”
> (Matthew 6:1–4, NASB)
And again:
> “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.”
> (Matthew 6:6, NASB)
The central theme is this:
God tests and rewards the secrets of the heart.
He is not impressed by performance, publicity, or religious show. He is moved by sincerity, purity, and obedience.
The lyrics echo Jesus’ teaching on three core areas of practical righteousness:
All three can be done in two opposite ways:
1. To be seen and honored by people.
2. To be seen and rewarded by the Father.
The question is not if we give, pray, or fast. Jesus says, “When you give… When you pray… When you fast…” The issue is *how* and *for whom*.
This is a matter of spiritual warfare. The religious spirit and the love of human praise are deadly enemies to true discipleship. This teaching is not about small etiquette; it is about the deepest loyalties of the human heart.
---
These words come from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the most concentrated body of Jesus’ ethical and spiritual teaching. He is addressing His disciples, with crowds listening in (Matt. 5:1–2).
In the first century, Jewish life was publicly religious:
Jesus is not introducing giving, praying, or fasting. These were already practiced. He addresses how they had been corrupted:
> “as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others…”
The word “hypocrite” in that culture referred to an actor—someone wearing a mask, playing a role. Jesus is confronting a religious system where external show had replaced internal reality.
Picture the scene:
Jesus exposes this. He does not merely say it is “insincere.” He says:
> “They have received their reward in full.” (Matt. 6:2)
Their reward is the praise of people. They chose it. They get it. And in getting it, they forfeit reward from the Father.
Jesus is drawing a sharp line:
You cannot trade in both at the same time for the same act.
He also speaks into a culture where externals were highly valued, and He redirects His disciples to a new center: the Father who “is in secret” and “sees in secret.”
This is radical. Jesus shifts the stage from:
The song’s repeated refrain—“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets…”—captures this repeated emphasis. Jesus drives home a single point: what matters is *not* how it looks on earth, but how it registers in heaven.
---
### 1. “Hypocrites” – ὑποκριτής (hypokritēs)
The Greek word hypokritēs originally meant:
In the New Testament it came to mean:
When Jesus says, “as the hypocrites do” (Matt. 6:2,5,16), He is saying:
The song’s lines “Don’t sound a trumpet like the hypocrites do… Not for show, not for praise from the crowd” capture this. Hypocrisy is spiritual acting. It is not limited to the Pharisees. Anytime we do a “spiritual” act to impress others, we step onto the hypocrite’s stage.
### 2. “In secret” – ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ (en tō kryptō)
The phrase “in secret” appears repeatedly:
> “so that your giving may be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:4)
> “pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matt. 6:6)
> “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:6,18)
The word kryptos means:
It is used elsewhere for:
So when Jesus speaks of “in secret,” He is not merely prescribing privacy. He is pointing to the hidden realm of the heart and of the unseen God.
This deepens the lyrics:
To walk “in secret” is to live with this awareness:
God’s gaze is more real to me than human eyes.
The spiritual life is anchored in the “kryptos” realm—where human applause cannot reach, but God sees with perfect clarity.
---
Let us move through the themes of the lyrics and connect them to the broader witness of Scripture.
### A. Giving: The Test of Motives
Lyrics:
> When you give to someone in need
> Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing
> Keep your giving quiet and private
> Don’t sound a trumpet like the hypocrites do…
Jesus assumes His disciples will give. But He is not satisfied with outward obedience. He goes deeper: “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt. 6:3).
This is a vivid metaphor. It means:
There are two kinds of pride:
1. Pride before others.
2. Pride before yourself.
Jesus exposes both. It is possible to give silently, but inwardly keep a record and savor your own “righteousness.” That is still hypocrisy of the heart.
Compare Luke 18:9–14, the Pharisee and the tax collector:
> “God, I thank You that I am not like other people…” (v. 11)
He is praying to God, but admiring himself. He does not need a crowd; he is his own audience. This is the opposite of “left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.”
The New Testament reinforces the same principle:
Outwardly, you could give everything and still receive nothing in heaven if love is absent and motives are wrong.
The lyrics emphasize: “Give quietly, love quietly, serve without sound.” The focus is on pleasing the Father, not building a reputation.
### B. Reward: Two Competing Systems
Repeated refrain:
> “They’ve already received their reward in full…
> Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full…
> Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you…”
Jesus talks about reward more than many Christians are comfortable with. But reward in Scripture is not a carnal concept. It is a spiritual law.
Notice:
Later in the same chapter:
> “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matt. 6:19–20)
The question is not: *Will you seek reward?* The question is: *Where will you seek it and from whom?*
John 12:43 describes many religious leaders:
> “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
The Greek word for “approval” is doxa, often translated “glory.” They loved human glory more than God’s glory.
The lyrics say:
> “The applause of people fades away so fast
> But what’s done in secret is built to last…”
This is deeply biblical. Human praise is:
God’s reward is:
To live for human applause is to invest your life in a currency that expires.
### C. Prayer and Fasting: The Hidden Life Before the Father
Lyrics:
> When you pray, go into your room
> Close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen
> He hears every word whispered in private
> When you fast, don’t look gloomy like the hypocrites
> Wash your face, anoint your head
> So only your Father sees what’s in your heart
Jesus says:
> “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret…” (Matt. 6:6)
The “inner room” (tameion) was a small, private storeroom in a typical house—no windows for public display. It symbolizes a life where:
Similarly, fasting:
> “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do… 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…” (Matt. 6:16–18)
Hypocrites advertise their sacrifice. True disciples conceal it.
Spiritual disciplines become corrupted when used as a platform for self. Prayer and fasting are powerful weapons in spiritual warfare, but they lose their heaven-sent power when they are used for human recognition. God resists the proud (Jas. 4:6).
The lyrics say, “Not for show, not for praise from the crowd, but for the eyes of the One who sees everything.” That is authentic spirituality.
### D. The “Audience of One”: The Heart-Test of God
Lyrics:
> Live for the audience of One alone
> Every hidden act of kindness is known
> He sees in secret, He’ll reward in His time…
Scripture teaches that God continually examines the heart:
Men look on the outward appearance; God looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). To “live for the audience of One” is to align with this reality daily.
This is also protection against deception. Many spiritual leaders have fallen because they learned to perform in public but neglected the secret place. Their inner life did not match their outer ministry. Sooner or later, what is secret—good or bad—comes to light:
> “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.” (Mark 4:22)
If we cultivate a secret life with God, the day of revelation will be a day of reward, not shame.
### E. Spiritual Warfare: Breaking the Power of the Fear of Man
Behind this whole passage lies a subtle spiritual force: the fear of man.
The fear of man produces:
The fear of the Lord produces:
So this teaching is not just about manner. It is deliverance from a subtle bondage: living before human eyes instead of God’s eyes.
The song’s contrast—“No need for spotlights, no need for fame… Your Father is watching”—is a deliberate shift of focus. That shift is warfare. Every time you choose secrecy before display, and the Father’s reward before human applause, you are striking a blow against the kingdom of darkness.
---
Let us consider practical steps. The Christian life is not theory; it is obedience.
### 1. First, we must renounce the love of human praise.
This requires a conscious decision. Say it to God and mean it. You may need to confess specific times when you have used spiritual activity for image-building.
You cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24): the praise of people and the praise of God.
### 2. Second, we must cultivate the secret place.
Establish regular, hidden times with God that are not announced, not advertised, not shared for reputation:
Do not underestimate this. Power in public is grounded in faithfulness in secret. What you are when no one sees is what you are before God.
### 3. Third, we must choose hidden obedience in practical giving and serving.
Begin to practice secret generosity:
When you are tempted to draw attention to your sacrifice, stop and say within: “Father, I choose Your reward, not men’s praise.”
Over time, this forms a new habit. You train your soul to delight in God’s smile, not in human applause.
### 4. Fourth, we must renew our minds with the truth of heavenly reward.
Many believers have a vague or even suspicious view of reward. But Jesus stakes much of His teaching on it:
Meditate on these promises. Say them aloud. Let them reshape your value system. It is not unspiritual to seek God’s reward; it is obedience. He has ordained it as a motivation for perseverance and purity.
---
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, from your heart, based on Matthew 6 and the truths we have seen:
> I proclaim that my Father in heaven sees in secret and rewards what is done in secret.
> I renounce the fear of man and the love of human praise.
> I refuse to practice my righteousness to be seen by others.
> I choose to give, to pray, and to fast for the eyes of my Father alone.
> I will not sound a trumpet before me, nor seek honor from people.
> By the grace of God, my left hand will not know what my right hand is doing.
> I live for the audience of One.
> My treasure is in heaven, my reward is with the Father, and my heart follows my treasure.
> The applause of people fades, but what I do in secret with God will endure forever.
> I set my heart to walk in the hidden life of obedience,
> And I trust my Father, who sees in secret, to reward in His time and in His way.
> In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
### Prayer
Father in heaven,
You who see in secret and know the secrets of every heart,
I come to You through the blood of Jesus, asking for mercy and cleansing.
Where I have sought the praise of people, forgive me.
Where I have used spiritual practices for my own reputation, wash me.
Holy Spirit, search me and expose every trace of hypocrisy.
Break the power of the fear of man in my life.
Write these words of Jesus upon my heart:
“That your giving may be in secret… your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Teach me to love the secret place.
Teach me to give, to pray, and to fast for my Father’s eyes alone.
Guard me from self-congratulation and religious acting.
Form in me the character of a true disciple, genuine in the inner man.
I present my life to You as one who desires to live for the audience of One.
Let my hidden life with You be deep, real, and pleasing in Your sight.
And in every act of secret obedience, may Jesus Christ be glorified.
I ask this in His mighty Name.
Amen.
Deepen your worship with these related songs:
No more songs available