Read the Bible well. Get a copy of the Bible in any translation that you find easiest to understand. Realize that the Bible is a love letter from God. God doesn’t want you to just fill up your head with biblical information; He wants you to let biblical truths change your heart to make you more like Jesus and help you change the world. When you read the Bible, pray that the Holy Spirit who inspired it will speak to your spirit and make the words come alive for you. Meditate on and study the words you read, but don’t stop there. Put what you read into practice in your life. Apply what you’ve learned to your everyday decisions. Make a habit of reading the Bible regularly. Start with books that are easier to read and have an immediate impact on your life (like the Gospel of John and Psalms and Proverbs) before moving on to other books. If you find yourself getting bored while reading something from the Bible, switch to another part of Scripture that’s more relevant to your life right now. If you encounter something in the Bible that makes you mad, don’t fight against it. Instead, remember that God doesn’t always tell you what you want to hear, but He always tells you the truth. And if you accept that truth even when you don’t like it, God will use that to help you grow. Every time you read the Bible, pray that God will help you hear the message He wants to give you through it, and look forward to what He has to say to you.

Pray well. Prayer isn’t an obligation. It’s a privilege. God has welcomed you into a close relationship with Him, so look forward to spending time with Him each day. Make a regular appointment with God just as you would with a person, setting specific times and places to pray. Forget about trying to use impressive words when praying; just pray simply and straight from your heart. Talk to God (praising Him, thanking Him, bringing Him requests, expressing the full range of your thoughts and feelings to Him, etc.) but also listen carefully to what God has to say to you during prayer and respond to it. Remember that prayer is communication that goes two ways between God and you. Also keep in mind that prayer impacts much more than just your own relationship with God. Prayer calls down real spiritual forces that actually change the world. Get excited about prayer’s awesome power, and tap into that power often by praying frequently. Remember that God cares about every detail of your life and is never bored when you pray; come to Him with everything that’s on your mind. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can manage certain situations on your own; you always need God’s help. Keep in mind that while you can do a lot of things without prayer, you can’t do anything of significance without prayer. Harness the power of the imagination God gave you to envision good things before they exist, then pray for God to make them happen. Use prayer to invite God to create new realities to change the world for the better.