In Secret

Matthew 6:17-18 ESV
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Fasting is a pulling away from the world, an attempt to disengage our senses from creation in order to be more sensitive to the Creator.  We have the ability to perceive Him because we are created in His image.  His presence in our heart allows us to transform rather than conform to the world.  As we are drawn by His light, His image becomes clearer, to us and to others around us.  The opposite is true as well.

God judges on what is inside.  A good deed done is not good in the eyes of God unless it is done from a heart that reflects the life of God.  It is not the deed itself which is the glory of God.  It's bigger and more wonderful than that.  It is the expression of love made possible by love.
The secret place is the love of God found in the heart of the believer.  It is real and it is personal.  This is the temple of the New Jerusalem. The sons and daughters of God are new creatures that will be revealed when Christ returns, for the heart will be clearly seen. He is the First and King in the kingdom of God.  He is the Word of God and through this Word, a new creation is underway.