THE STAGES OF NEGLECTING SCRIPTURE
- lorijanehawkins
- Jan 22
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
INTRODUCTION & STAGE 1 - DRIFT
A 6-Part Series on “Not Reading the Bible”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Introduction: The Pattern of Forgetting
• The Six Stages Overview
• Stage 1: Drift - Stop Listening Carefully
◦ Warning Signs
◦ Consequences
◦ The Way Back
◦ Prayer of Repentance
• What's Next
INTRODUCTION: THE PATTERN OF FORGETTING
Neglecting Scripture does not cause an instant loss of salvation, but it does lead to drift, dullness, spiritual blindness, and increasing worldliness in those who profess Christ. Scripture repeatedly ties "forgetting God" or "neglecting" His word to regression back into darkness, sin, and deception.
Deuteronomy and Jeremiah: Consequences of Neglecting God
In Deuteronomy, before Israel ever crossed into the land of blessing, Moses stood before a generation poised to enter abundance and rest, and warned them:
"Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God" once prosperity arrived (Deuteronomy 8:11).
He knew their hearts would become proud and they would forget God when they became full, wealthy, and comfortable after being delivered from Egypt.
Generations later, Jeremiah stood in the ruins of what that forgetfulness produced, recording God's heartbroken indictment in Jeremiah 2:32:
"Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number."
What Moses warned before the pattern took hold, Jeremiah chronicled after Israel ignored the warning.
This tragic pattern is not a relic of ancient Israel—it remains the path that any believer can walk when they stop giving earnest heed to God's word.
THE SIX STAGES: A ROADMAP
Scripture identifies six stages along this path:
1. Drift - Stop listening carefully
2. Dullness - Hearing without growth
3. Forgetting - Prosperity without remembrance
4. Blindness - Darkened understanding
5. Worldliness - Divided love
6. Discipline - The Father's loving correction
Each stage flows into the next, and each carries its own warning signs, consequences, and—thankfully—a way back.
Understanding these stages equips us to recognize where we are, where neglect leads, and how to return before the heart grows too hard to hear.
Over the next six posts, we'll explore each stage in depth.
Today, we begin with the first: Drift.
STAGE 1: DRIFT - STOP LISTENING CAREFULLY
Have you noticed you still believe in God, but His word no longer feels urgent, sharp, or necessary from day to day? That subtle shift—when "I know this already" replaces "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening"—is often the first muted sign that drifting has begun.
What Is Drift?
Drift begins when believers stop giving "more earnest heed" or "stop listening carefully" or being "engaged and attentive" to the word.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us:
"We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."
Other translations clarify:
• TPT: "This is why it is so crucial that we be all the more engaged and attentive to the truths that we have heard so that we do not drift off course."
• NLT: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it."
Drifting begins when the word is no longer heeded.
The Stakes Are High
Hebrews 2:2-3 continues:
"For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him?"
If disobedience under the old covenant brought just retribution, neglecting so great a salvation in Christ brings unavoidable consequences.
WARNING SIGNS YOU'RE DRIFTING
• You still "believe" but listen less carefully to sermons and scripture.
• Shortened or skipped Bible time, prayer, and fellowship with no immediate guilt.
• God's word feels optional rather than urgent.
• "I know this already" becomes your default response to biblical truth.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DRIFT
• Subtle movement away from the truth and from one's first love (Jesus) without noticing it.
• Increased openness to compromise and distraction, because the anchor of the word is no longer holding tightly.
• The current carries you farther than you intended to go.
THE WAY BACK: ENCOURAGEMENT
Even if you recognize that you have drifted, that you see it is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still drawing you. God does not expose drift to shame you, but to invite you back into "earnest heed" and fresh closeness with His voice.
You can start again today by turning your ear back to His word, and He will anchor you before the currents carry you farther.
PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Father, I repent for drifting and please forgive me for letting my attention drift from Your word and for my ears that grew careless toward Your voice. I confess I have begun to treat what You say as optional instead of urgent. Draw me back to devoted attention and anchor my heart again in the truth I once treasured.
Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me. Please cover me with Your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Amen.
WHAT'S NEXT IN THIS SERIES
Next week, we'll explore Stage 2: Dullness - Hearing Without Growth.
What happens when Scripture no longer moves you? When sermons feel predictable and conviction gets easier to shake off?
We'll examine the dangerous slide from drift into spiritual dullness, and God's merciful path back to a tender heart.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Your journey matters, and your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
Reflect and Share:
• Which stage resonates most with where you are right now?
• When did you first notice you were drifting from God's Word?
• What's one step you'll take this week to return to earnest attention?
Share in the comments below or with others—your vulnerability could encourage someone else who's quietly drifting and feeling alone in the struggle.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
This is Part 1 of a six-part series on The Stages of Neglecting Scripture.
Each post explores a biblical stage of spiritual decline, with warning signs, consequences, encouragement, and prayers for restoration.
The Complete Series:
1. Introduction & Stage 1: Drift
2. Stage 2: Dullness
3. Stage 3: Forgetting
4. Stage 4: Blindness
5. Stage 5: Worldliness
6. Stage 6: Discipline
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV), New Living Translation (NLT), and The Passion Translation (TPT).
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