--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: dull of heart had a history in God, but…" description: "\"“dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep current in what God was doing.”\" — Bill Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png" --- # dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep… ![“dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep current in what God was doing.” quote by Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png) > ““dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep current in what God was doing.”” [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes a spiritual stagnation despite historical belief, urging active engagement with divine work. **In simple terms:** Faith without action is empty. Key Takeaway Actively pursue God’s current work. Themes faith spiritual growth action Mood encouraging solemn Type religious motivational When to use this quote - church leadership - mission trips - daily devotion Key Concepts religious devotion personal transformation community service Questions to Reflect On - What steps can revitalize personal faith? - How does community support active spirituality? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic barriers to spiritual activity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Dull Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull-heart-1078368/) [God Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-doing/) [Heart History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-history-2429045/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-god-278857/) ## Related quotes > [“Every heart has so much history. It's my favorite place to start. Sit down awhile and share your narrative with me. I'm not afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-groves/every-heart-has-so-much-history-it-s-my-favorite-place-to-start-sit/) [Sara Groves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-groves/) > [I find it dull when my heart meets my mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/i-find-it-dull-when-my-heart-meets-my-mind/) [Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/) > [A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-doesn-t-care-if-you-re-rich-or-poor-educated-or-illiterate/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [If you make history with God, He'll make history with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/if-you-make-history-with-god-he-ll-make-history-with-you/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [We have had to learn that history is neither a God nor a redeemer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/we-have-had-to-learn-that-history-is-neither-a-god-nor-a-redeemer/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [From the Scriptures we find basic truths that may serve as the foundation of our teaching of history. The first basic truth is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-fisher/from-the-scriptures-we-find-basic-truths-that-may-serve-as-the/) [D. A. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-fisher/) > [“If one of these, if a hundred of them, a thousand, came too soon or failed to thrive or were born incomplete somehow, born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/if-one-of-these-if-a-hundred-of-them-a-thousand-came-too-soon-or/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“The only way to show a true respect for God is to act morally while ignoring God’s existence.” ― A History of God: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-only-way-to-show-a-true-respect-for-god-is-to-act-morally-while/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [God acts in history: that is, God provides ideas, methods, and experiences intended to bring comprehension to man, an understanding heart, a conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-needleman/god-acts-in-history-that-is-god-provides-ideas-methods-and/) [Jacob Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-needleman/) > [“Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of His goodness and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/ought-we-not-to-look-upon-our-own-history-as-being-at-least-as-full/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [We are torn out of our own existence and set down in the midst of the holy history of God on earth. There God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-torn-out-of-our-own-existence-and-set-down-in-the-midst-of-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Our spiritual history is the history of God-ventriloquists! The truth is that the voice of God is the voice of cunning Man, the ventriloquist's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/our-spiritual-history-is-the-history-of-god-ventriloquists-the-truth/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“IN THE MOST CRUCIAL EVENTS IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY, God takes considerable pains to ensure that no one can properly conclude that these events have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson-2/in-the-most-crucial-events-in-redemptive-history-god-takes/) [D.A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson-2/) > [“history is God’s love story. There is no event in space or time unrelated to the Jesus story, and there is no metaphor in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-viola/history-is-god-s-love-story-there-is-no-event-in-space-or-time/) [Frank Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-viola/) > [The idea of a judgment of history is secularism's vain, meaningless, hopeless, pathetic attempt to devise a substitute for what the great Abrahamic traditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-george/the-idea-of-a-judgment-of-history-is-secularism-s-vain-meaningless/) [Robert P. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-george/) ## More by Bill Johnson > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [The biggest enemy to prayer is praying for something you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/the-biggest-enemy-to-prayer-is-praying-for-something-you-already-have/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“Working from His presence is better than working for His presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/working-from-his-presence-is-better-than-working-for-his-presence/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Faith must rise beyond the recognised norm into a lifestyle that accurately represents the victorious Son of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/faith-must-rise-beyond-the-recognised-norm-into-a-lifestyle-that/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [It is unnatural for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/it-is-unnatural-for-a-christian-not-to-have-an-appetite-for-the/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [A heart of faith is anchored in the unseen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/a-heart-of-faith-is-anchored-in-the-unseen/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“I can’t afford to live in reaction to darkness. If I do, darkness has had a role in setting the agenda for my life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-can-t-afford-to-live-in-reaction-to-darkness-if-i-do-darkness-has/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [So Jesus came and modelled a lifestyle of power and purity because the power of the Spirit of God was on him. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/so-jesus-came-and-modelled-a-lifestyle-of-power-and-purity-because/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“All of God’s judgments are aimed at whatever interferes with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/all-of-god-s-judgments-are-aimed-at-whatever-interferes-with-love/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [We are not relevant when we mirror secular culture. We are relevant when we are what they long to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/we-are-not-relevant-when-we-mirror-secular-culture-we-are-relevant/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [God is better than you think. So lets change the way we think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/god-is-better-than-you-think-so-lets-change-the-way-we-think/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“Remaining poor in spirit, combined with a first love passion for Jesus are the keys God created to anchor us to the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/remaining-poor-in-spirit-combined-with-a-first-love-passion-for-jesus/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Anything you think you know about about God, that you can't find in the person of Jesus, you have reason to question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/anything-you-think-you-know-about-about-god-that-you-can-t-find-in/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Perfectionism is the counterfeit of excellence. Excellence is Kingdom, while perfectionism is religion. What ever you do, do it with all you might, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/perfectionism-is-the-counterfeit-of-excellence-excellence-is-kingdom/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) [Explore all 282 Bill Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) ## More Dull quotes > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [Whether one is twenty, forty, or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-mitchell-hodges/whether-one-is-twenty-forty-or-sixty-whether-one-has-succeeded-failed/) [Leigh Mitchell Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-mitchell-hodges/) > [I am simply looking for a companion with whom to spend my days, a companion who will cherish as much as I the stupidity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/i-am-simply-looking-for-a-companion-with-whom-to-spend-my-days-a/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Soothing words can become just another drug we swallow to dull our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/soothing-words-can-become-just-another-drug-we-swallow-to-dull-our/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [Perhaps it is this theory of all work and no play that has made the Marxist such a very dull boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/perhaps-it-is-this-theory-of-all-work-and-no-play-that-has-made-the/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [The most fascinating powers don't mean a thing if the guy's poorly motivated or dull, and the most generic powers won't hurt a well-motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-most-fascinating-powers-don-t-mean-a-thing-if-the-guy-s-poorly/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. At length the melody steals into my being. I know not when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-thrumming-of-piano-strings-beyond-the-gardens-and-through-the-elms/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 1,407 Dull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep current in what God was doing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-did-not-keep-current-in-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dull" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-did-not-keep-current-in-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57c/bill-johnson-1147_dull_dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-d_1040421.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“dull of heart had a history in God, but did not keep current in what God was doing.” — Bill Johnson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“dull of heart had a history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-did-not-keep-current-in-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/dull-of-heart-had-a-history-in-god-but-did-not-keep-current-in-what/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```