THE STAGES OF NEGLECTING SCRIPTURE
- lorijanehawkins
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Stage 2 - Dullness - Hearing Without Growth
Part 2 of a 6-Part Series on Not Reading the Bible
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Quick Recap: Stage 1 - Drift
• Stage 2: Dullness - Hearing Without Growth
◦ Warning Signs
◦ Consequences
◦ The Way Back
◦ Prayer of Repentance
• What's Next
QUICK RECAP: STAGE 1 - DRIFT
In our last post, we explored how spiritual drift begins when we stop giving "earnest heed" to God's Word. We still believe, but Scripture no longer feels urgent or necessary. That subtle shift from attentiveness to casualness marks the beginning of neglect.
If you missed Stage 1, you can read it here: [Link to Stage 1: Drift]
Today, we move to what happens next when drift continues unchecked: Dullness.
STAGE 2: DULLNESS - HEARING WITHOUT GROWTH
Do you remember a time when Scripture leaped off the page, but now the same verses hardly move you? When sermons become predictable and conviction weakens, the issue often lies not with the preacher but with a heart that has grown dull of hearing.
What Is Dullness?
Neglect of Scripture produces "dull of hearing" believers—long-time Christians stuck at "basic things" instead of teaching others. This is not about intellectual capacity or Bible knowledge. It's about spiritual responsiveness—how your heart reacts when God speaks.
Hebrews 5:11-12 diagnoses the condition:
"You have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God... you need milk, not solid food."
Other translations clarify:
• NLT: "You are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen... Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word."
Dullness is spiritual sluggishness and arrested growth. Time has passed, but spiritual maturity has not kept pace.
The Danger of a Hardened Heart
Hebrews 3:12-13 connects the dots between dullness and spiritual danger:
"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily... lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
NLT version:
"You must warn each other every day... so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God."
Sin is deceitful. It whispers, "You're fine. This isn't that serious." And a dull heart believes it because exhortation and correction no longer land strongly.
WARNING SIGNS YOU'RE BECOMING DULL
• The heart feels unmoved by truths that once cut deeply; conviction is easier to shrug off.
• Long-time believer but still needing "milk" and basics; little desire to grow or to teach others.
• Sermons feel predictable—you have "heard it all before" with no hunger for more.
• Correction does not stick—people speak into your life, but nothing changes.
• Spiritual lethargy—reading the Bible feels like a chore rather than a delight.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DULLNESS
• Spiritual immaturity persists—you stay stuck instead of maturing into usefulness for God's kingdom.
• Greater vulnerability to "the deceitfulness of sin," because exhortation and correction no longer land on your conscience or heart heavily.
• Inability to discern truth from error—Hebrews 5:14 says solid food is for the mature "who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil"
• You become a spiritual consumer instead of a contributor—always needing to be fed but never feeding others.
• The gap widens between who you are and who God called you to be.
THE WAY BACK: ENCOURAGEMENT
Spiritual dullness is not a life sentence. Hearts that have become "dull of hearing" can become tender again as you respond to His voice "Today" and refuse to harden yourself any longer.
Every step you take to:
• Receive corrections with humility.
• Seek prayer from mature believers.
• Return to the "first principles of the oracles of God."
...is a step back toward sharp discernment and fruitful maturity.
God's Word is still "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). The problem is never the Word—it is always the condition of the heart receiving it. And one can soften one's heart again.
Today is the day. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Hebrews 3:13 emphasizes "daily" exhortation because hardness sets in over time. But tenderness can return just as when you position yourself back under the authority and beauty of God's Word.
PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Lord, I repent and confess that my heart has become dull of hearing—unmoved by conviction and slow to respond to Your correction. Forgive me for letting spiritual laziness keep me immature when I should grow and bear fruit.
Soften my heart again, sharpen my hearing, and awaken a fresh hunger for Your word. I do not want to stay stuck in spiritual infancy. I want to grow, mature, and be useful in Your kingdom.
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 3: Forgetting - Prosperity Without Remembrance. What happens when life gets comfortable, full, and blessed—and God moves to the margins? We'll examine the dangerous shift from dullness into practical forgetfulness of God, and the pride that follows.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Your journey matters, and your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
Reflect and Share:
• Have you noticed your heart becoming dull—unmoved by Scripture that once stirred you?
• What's one area where you know God has been speaking, but you've been slow to respond?
• What step will you take this week to soften your heart again?
Share in the comments below—your honesty could be the encouragement someone else needs to take their own step back to spiritual vitality.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
This is Part 2 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:
2. Stage 2: Dullness (You are here)
3. Stage 3: Forgetting (Coming next week)
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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