Twenty-One Reasons to Have a Dedicated, Daily Devotional (or Time Alone With YHVH)

The reasons are too numerous to mention! Here are only a few reasons.

• Draw near to Elohim and he will draw near to you. That is to say, incline your heart to Elohim and  he will incline himself to you. The converse is also true. Disincline your heart to him and he will respond accordingly. (Pss 71:2; 78:1; 88:2; 102:2; 119:36; 141:4) 
• You are what you eat. What you feed on is what you will become; what a person puts into his mind and heart is he who he is (Prov 23:7). If you do not feed on the Word of Elohim, you will not grow spiritually, and the converse is also true. 
• We need to be continually renewing our mind by spiritually brainwashing our mind and heart with the Word of Elohim to combat the distracting and hell-bent influences of the world, the flesh and the devil. We wash or cleanse our minds by washing in or feeding continually on the water of the Word of Elohim (Rom 12:2; Eph 5:26).
• Yeshua instructs us to ask, seek and you shall find, and knock (Matt 7:7). YHVH Elohim like is a vast ocean wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth, and we are little children on the edge of that ocean. How can we learn and grow spiritually if we do not ask and seek?
• If we don’t ask through prayer, we will not receive from our Father in heaven (Jas 4:3).
• The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), and even to pray for our enemies (Matt 5:44). 
• With regard to prayer, Yeshua instructed us to pray (Matt 6:9–13). The implication was not if you pray, but when you pray. Yeshua lived a life of prayer and set us the example of being prayerful. If we are followers of Messiah, then are we not to imitate him in all areas of our life, to walk in his footsteps (1 Cor 11:1; 1 John 2:6) and to do all that he commanded us to do (Matt 28:20)?
• The Bible commands us to be thankful in all things (Col 3:17). We express our gratitude to our Father in heaven through prayer.
• David, a man after YHVH’s heard prayed and thanked Elohim seven times a day (Ps 110:164).
• The morning and evening sacrifices are our example to follow for the sacrifice of our lips (Pss 27:6; 50:8–15; 69:30–31; Hos 6:6; 14:2 [KJV]; Heb 13:15; 1 Pet 2:5).
• The Bible instructs us to a living sacrifice, that is, live a life of prayer, fasting, worship, praise, self-negation and service (Rom 12:1; Phil 2:17; Heb 13:15–16; 1 Pet 2:5).
• Study to show yourself approved by rightly dividing the Word of Elohim (2 Tim 2:15).
• Be like a noble Berean by searching the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:10–11).
• Be like a tree planted by (Yeshua) the river of life by meditating day and night on YHVH’s Torah-Word, so that you will bear much spiritual fruit and you will not whither spiritually in the day of adversity (Ps 1:1–6).
• Abide in and be strongly attached to Yeshua (and his word) who is the true vine and we are the branches (John 15:1–8).
• Walk  in the Spirit by not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, which war against the Spirit (Gal 5:16–17). Establish good disciplines in your life. Self control or self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23). Learn to reign in the lusts of the flesh by not always doing the things our flesh wants to do (Gal 5:19–21), but following the prompting of the Spirit by spending time with Elohim, which is an act of self-discipline.
• Feed your inner spirit man by feeding regularly on the Word of Elohim as opposed to continually feeding your soul man (i.e., your mind, will and emotions) (Gal 5:5:16–18; Col 3:1–2; 2 Cor 10:4–5).
• If you don’t know the Word of Elohim, how are you going to do spiritual warfare by resisting the temptations of the devil with the Word of Elohim as Yeshua did when combatting the devil (Matt 4:1–11), and by taking every thought captive to the mind of Yeshua (2 Cor 10:4–5)?
• How are we to fulfill Romans 12:2 by being transformed into the image of the Messiah (Rom 8:29) by renewing our minds and not being conformed to this world if we are regularly reading and studying the Word of Elohim?
• The wise virgins in Yeshua’s parable were ready for Yeshua their Bridegroom, since they had oil (i.e., the Spirit and the Torah-Word of Elohim) in their lamps (Matt 25:1–4).
• Seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness by starting every day with our daily devotionals (Matt 6:33). YHVH deserves the first and best part of each of our days.

Things That Keep Us From Having a Daily Devotional

We have become spiritually lukewarm.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. (Rev 3:15–15)

We have lost our first love for Yeshua. Remember the 10 virgins of Matthew 25 who fell asleep waiting for the Bridegroom to return. Even though all got weary waiting and fell asleep, the five foolish virgins were unprepared spiritually to meet him, and thus were barred from going into the wedding supper.

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:  “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”  (Rev 2:1–5)

Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. (Ps 51:10–13)

Lack of self discipline. Self control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23). If we are unable to designate time each day to spend with YHVH, then we lack self discipline. We do many things every day at certain times as a matter of habit. So why can’t do the same with our daily Bible study and prayer time?

Idolatry. Anything in our lives that comes between us and our relationship with YHVH is a form of idolatry. That is another way of saying that we love of things of this world more than the things of YHVH. The lord of our free time is often an indicator of who the lord of our lives really is!

All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of Elohim does not sin; but he who has been born of Elohim keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of Elohim, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of Elohim has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This is the true Elohim and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:17–21)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of Elohim abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? (Jas 4:4–5)

The cares of the flesh. The cares of this world can tyrannize our time and energy and squeeze out our daily time with YHVH.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matt 13:22–23)

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of Elohim!” Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ (Luke 14:15–20)

The god of this world. The devil actively seeks to divert our attention away from YHVH. If we let him, he will keep us so busy that we have little or no time for YHVH. 

Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. (Matt 13:18–19)

Weariness due to the struggles of life. These can cause us to become discouraged and apathetic toward the things of YHVH. 

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Matt 13:20–21)

Falling into to a normalcy bias or an attitude of complacency. This is another form of lukewarmess. We lose our sense of urgency thinking that we have plenty of time to “get right” with Elohim, while forgetting that we are but one heart beat and breath away from eternity.

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of Elohim the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Elohim, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. (2 Pet 3:1–14)