You must be determined to go for it. Do not be satisfied with having just a "pretty good time" with God. You have to go all the way. Sing to Him with all you have, even if you are the only one around.

Grab some of the psalms and read them to God as if you wrote them yourself. Read them, or shout them, as if they are coming from your heart! Say it until you mean it. You will be amazed at what will happen in your quiet times when you are determined to enter into real worship: God will show up and blow you away.

What do I mean by this? Do not just sit down and read and then shut the Book. Many people cannot remember what they read, even right after they read it. Here are some ideas to make it creative and to help you get some real meat out of God's word:
  1. Read through an entire book at once. Do not just skip around from book to book of the Bible. Ask yourself, who was He writing to? What did He really mean when He wrote it? What did they think it meant (the people He was writing to)?

    Many study Bibles have an introduction to each book of the Bible. Be sure to read this; it will help you know a little more about why the person wrote the book. Then ask yourself, "What is God speaking to me today through this?"
  2. Study the Bible by theme. Get your concordance and look up a word finding where it is used in all different places in the Bible. For example, look up the word FORGIVE, and read all the different passages about forgiveness.

    God can completely change your life as you really learn about different issues by topic.
  3. Read the same thing in the Word that a close friend is reading. For example make a commitment to read through the New Testament together. As you are both reading through Matthew together, write down questions you have about each chapter.

    When you get together ask each other the questions you have and help each other understand what God is saying. Or both of you could bring your questions to one of your parents or youth leaders.

    Ask each other, "What did God teach you this morning?" See how God is speaking to both of you in different ways.
  4. Find a devotional book to read through. Do not let this be a substitute for the Bible, but get one that will guide you through the Bible. Find one that will help you understand more of the Word and apply it to your life.

    You could even get the same devotional book with a friend and work through it together. Just as before, ask each other what God is speaking to each of you every morning. There are many different devotional books like this available.
  5. When you read through the Scripture, be looking for more of God. Look to see if you can understand more about His personality in each chapter. Ask questions like, "Why did God say that?" or "Why did God do that?"

    Look for His character traits in every book of the Bible. Every single chapter will teach you more about how He does things. It is like you are on a quest for more of God.
    Sit down to read with a determination to discover more of who He is. Sit down with a hearty appetite to eat manna from heaven. Just pray and ask Him to open your eyes and show you more of himself. Then watch out!
  6. Find one Scripture from what you read each morning and write it down. Memorize it during the day. Take it with you everywhere you go. Chew on it all day long, just like chewing gum. Ask God what you can apply to your life from that Scripture. What does He want you to change TODAY?

    Source: Quit Playing With Fire by Ron Luce.
    Excerpt permission granted by Teen Mania Ministries