₦airaland Forum

Stunted Growth: A Spiritual Analogy

During the Nigeria civil war, history records that millions of people especially children died not just from bullets, but from malnutrition. One of the tragic effects of malnutrition is stunted growth. In such cases, the body grows in imbalance: certain parts become oversized while others remain underdeveloped. Often, the legs are too weak to carry the upper body because the growth was not nourished in balance.

This physical reality paints a vivid picture of what also happens in the spiritual life of many believers.

When we are born again, it is our spirit that experiences immediate regeneration. We become “one spirit with the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:17). The Spirit is fully saved, perfected, and sealed. However, the soul our mind, will, intellect, and emotions still needs renewal and growth. The soul interprets what the Spirit receives from God and translates it into understanding, action, and expression.

This is why the written Word is so important: it is given to us for the renewal and growth of the mind (Romans 12:2; John 15:3). When the mind is not renewed, the believer experiences imbalance, spiritual stunted growth. The Spirit may be full of light, but the untrained or malnourished mind cannot properly express that light, peace is not the absence of chaos but the state of a mind renewed and growing.

The Gallon Illustration
Imagine holding two empty gallons:

One gallon is clean. You pour in fresh water (symbolizing inspiration from the Spirit). When you pour it out, it comes out pure.

The other gallon is dirty, containing oil and particles. When you pour the same fresh water into it, what comes out is polluted, mixed with dirt.

The water (divine inspiration) is the same, but the vessel (the mind) determines the quality of what flows out.

In the same way, when a believer’s mind is unrenewed, their expressions of God’s Spirit are often polluted leading to distorted doctrines, fear-based preaching, condemnation messages, doom prophecies, and confusing interpretations. This is the root cause of many factions and strange practices in Christianity today.

Why Growth Matters

You cannot live in the New Covenant and yet remain ignorant of it. A stunted mind will convince a believer that Christ in them is not enough. It will make them believe that the kingdom of darkness still has power over them, even though Christ has already delivered them.

When believers fail to grow in the knowledge of Christ and in the renewal of their minds, they often act out of imbalance doing regrettable things and missing the fullness of God’s glory in them.

Nations and Nourished Minds

The same principle applies to nations. The reason some nations progress while others remain stagnant is not merely resources but mind nourishment. Where minds are robust, creative, and renewed, progress becomes natural. People can rebuild, innovate, transform, and bring beauty out of brokenness even in their darkest moments.

The Call to Mind Renewal

Believers today must embrace mind renewal as essential. A nourished, renewed mind aligns with the regenerated spirit, and together they bring the body into harmony. This unity spirit, soul, and body reveals the glory of God in fullness.

The world is dark, but God’s light has already shone upon us. If we allow our minds to remain stunted, we dim that light. But if we renew our minds through the Word, godly teachings, and intentional growth, we bring creative innovations, ideas, then Christ in us shines brightly, and we become true blessings to the world.

Final Siblings
Stunted growth is not God’s design for His children. His desire is that we grow holistically,spirit, soul, and body in perfect alignment, expressing the glory of Christ within us to the fullest. Read books, read edifying articles, surround yourself with people that are positive minded, be intentional about your growth.

Follow me on x @theevangelistt and join our daily bible study by 7pm

iamteegee:
Stunted Growth: A Spiritual Analogy

During the Nigeria civil war, history records that millions of people especially children died not just from bullets, but from malnutrition. One of the tragic effects of malnutrition is stunted growth. In such cases, the body grows in imbalance: certain parts become oversized while others remain underdeveloped. Often, the legs are too weak to carry the upper body because the growth was not nourished in balance.

This physical reality paints a vivid picture of what also happens in the spiritual life of many believers.

When we are born again, it is our spirit that experiences immediate regeneration. We become “one spirit with the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:17). The Spirit is fully saved, perfected, and sealed. However, the soul our mind, will, intellect, and emotions still needs renewal and growth. The soul interprets what the Spirit receives from God and translates it into understanding, action, and expression.

This is why the written Word is so important: it is given to us for the renewal and growth of the mind (Romans 12:2; John 15:3). When the mind is not renewed, the believer experiences imbalance, spiritual stunted growth. The Spirit may be full of light, but the untrained or malnourished mind cannot properly express that light, peace is not the absence of chaos but the state of a mind renewed and growing.

The Gallon Illustration
Imagine holding two empty gallons:

One gallon is clean. You pour in fresh water (symbolizing inspiration from the Spirit). When you pour it out, it comes out pure.

The other gallon is dirty, containing oil and particles. When you pour the same fresh water into it, what comes out is polluted, mixed with dirt.

The water (divine inspiration) is the same, but the vessel (the mind) determines the quality of what flows out.

In the same way, when a believer’s mind is unrenewed, their expressions of God’s Spirit are often polluted leading to distorted doctrines, fear-based preaching, condemnation messages, doom prophecies, and confusing interpretations. This is the root cause of many factions and strange practices in Christianity today.

Why Growth Matters

You cannot live in the New Covenant and yet remain ignorant of it. A stunted mind will convince a believer that Christ in them is not enough. It will make them believe that the kingdom of darkness still has power over them, even though Christ has already delivered them.

When believers fail to grow in the knowledge of Christ and in the renewal of their minds, they often act out of imbalance doing regrettable things and missing the fullness of God’s glory in them.

Nations and Nourished Minds

The same principle applies to nations. The reason some nations progress while others remain stagnant is not merely resources but mind nourishment. Where minds are robust, creative, and renewed, progress becomes natural. People can rebuild, innovate, transform, and bring beauty out of brokenness even in their darkest moments.

The Call to Mind Renewal

Believers today must embrace mind renewal as essential. A nourished, renewed mind aligns with the regenerated spirit, and together they bring the body into harmony. This unity spirit, soul, and body reveals the glory of God in fullness.

The world is dark, but God’s light has already shone upon us. If we allow our minds to remain stunted, we dim that light. But if we renew our minds through the Word, godly teachings, and intentional growth, we bring creative innovations, ideas, then Christ in us shines brightly, and we become true blessings to the world.

Final Siblings
Stunted growth is not God’s design for His children. His desire is that we grow holistically,spirit, soul, and body in perfect alignment, expressing the glory of Christ within us to the fullest. Read books, read edifying articles, surround yourself with people that are positive minded, be intentional about your growth.

Follow me on x @theevangelistt and join our daily bible study by 7pm

How come you never mention all the sexual assault during the civil war?

I actually interviewed the women and girls that lived through it

Where the men at the time in fairly safe areas used it as an excuse to pin innocent women and girls down to violate them

Even now in today's world followers of a particular religious beliefs are rounding up innocent women and girls in the hundreds daily and doing it

And you preach god this and god that
Instead of stopping it, you have pastors in churches blessing money that they know was gained through criminal activity and abuse in return for a share and its not even about religion to those pastors its a business

There is no real religion in Nigeria at all not one scrap of it and fella we all know those that preach the loudest and point fingers are the ones with the darkest secrets

Thank you for reading the article, I am very sure it blessed you, everything complained was addressed there and I wish everyone of us quick growth

Fenrir:
How come you never mention all the sexual assault during the civil war?

I actually interviewed the women and girls that lived through it

Where the men at the time in fairly safe areas used it as an excuse to pin innocent women and girls down to violate them

Even now in today's world followers of a particular religious beliefs are rounding up innocent women and girls in the hundreds daily and doing it

And you preach god this and god that
Instead of stopping it, you have pastors in churches blessing money that they know was gained through criminal activity and abuse in return for a share and its not even about religion to those pastors its a business

There is no real religion in Nigeria at all not one scrap of it and fella we all know those that preach the loudest and point fingers are the ones with the darkest secrets

iamteegee:
Thank you for reading the article, I am very sure it blessed you, everything complained was addressed there and I wish everyone of us quick growth

Blessed me? Fella im an atheist and not Nigerian. you addressed nothing about the sexual assault in the civil war in any of it and you since you as a nationality preach in the name of god so much explain why the majority of men in this country have a sexual assault mindset is ok way of thinking

Where anti homosexual laws and blasphemy laws are enforced but sexual assault and human rights aren't?

I think you should channel this energy to the government, elected by the people to do those things you mentioned

Fenrir:
Blessed me? Fella im an atheist and not Nigerian. you addressed nothing about the sexual assault in the civil war in any of it and you since you as a nationality preach in the name of god so much explain why the majority of men in this country have a sexual assault mindset is ok way of thinking

Where anti homosexual laws and blasphemy laws are enforced but sexual assault and human rights aren't?

iamteegee:
I think you should channel this energy to the government, elected by the people to do those things you mentioned

No, i think im directing it to the right person
The type of person that preaches this and that all the name of the Christian god but also does the exact opposite of his teachings and elected, you're having a laugh fella, your current president was crowned a full 9 months before any election proving its a rigged system and the title is always for sale not voted on

I am still the wrong person you are channelling Nigeria cinstitentcy or law to, why did you become an atheist?

Fenrir:
No, i think im directing it to the right person
The type of person that preaches this and that all the name of the Christian god but also does the exact opposite of his teachings and elected, you're having a laugh fella, your current president was crowned a full 9 months before any election proving its a rigged system and the title is always for sale not voted on

iamteegee:
I am still the wrong person you are channelling Nigeria cinstitentcy or law to, why did you become an atheist?

Become an atheist? Thats a silly question

Why are you Christian?
Why are there Muslims?
Why are there jews?
Why are there Hindus?
Why are there people of any religions?

90% of the time religion is nothing but family amd location based and you are just indoctrinated into it

Im European and most European countries are Christian on paper but now atheist in reality

I was born atheist into a pagan family and was asked what I believe and I believe there is no such thing as a god and its just bizarre anyone believe without 1 scrap of evidence

My daughter however is Christian because I sat her down and explained religion as many different types as I could and explained my beliefs and let her choose like your god, like your bible and like jesus said to do

Thank you for allowing your daughter believe in truth, however what happens to people that died? Do they cease to exist in the world?

Fenrir:
Become an atheist? Thats a silly question

Why are you Christian?
Why are there Muslims?
Why are there jews?
Why are there Hindus?
Why are there people of any religions?

90% of the time religion is nothing but family amd location based and you are just indoctrinated into it

Im European and most European countries are Christian on paper but now atheist in reality

I was born atheist into a pagan family and was asked what I believe and I believe there is no such thing as a god and its just bizarre anyone believe without 1 scrap of evidence

My daughter however is Christian because I sat her down and explained religion as many different types as I could and explained my beliefs and let her choose like your god, like your bible and like jesus said to do

iamteegee:
Thank you for allowing your daughter believe in truth, however what happens to people that died? Do they cease to exist in the world?

Dont go attempting to force religion onto be fella
And FYI when people die they are just gone and become food for flora and fauna like flora and fauna were food for us

Do the 1 thing that no man or woman that ever lived could do and produce evidence of a god

Evidence that can be tested
Weighed
Measure and replicated in a laboratory and everyone in the world can see all at once

Until then keep your personal beliefs to yourself like the majority of the world does

When you are ready for the truth, come here and I will show you, I used to be an atheist before, might not know how far you go with it, but I went far with mine then, looking for a God that can go through the lab tube but if you need what goes through lab tube then you need to see acid and other things and not God, if God can be found in a tube then I personally won't serve that God but anyways I didn't believe, no one could convince me until I opened my heart, having a free mind, I wasn't going to church when I had encounters, spoke with me, saw and still see Him, saw and still see the angels, been in heaven , saw the light Apostle Paul saw that made him almost blind,(Paul also was someone no one could convince to believe in Jesus, a terror that killed many until he saw something beyond his mind could ever comprehend, I saw it too and am still seeing it, no one preached to me, I wasn't going to church and that was the day I stopped believing the rubbish that there is no God.

Fenrir:
Dont go attempting to force religion onto be fella
And FYI when people die they are just gone and become food for flora and fauna like flora and fauna were food for us

Do the 1 thing that no man or woman that ever lived could do and produce evidence of a god

Evidence that can be tested
Weighed
Measure and replicated in a laboratory and everyone in the world can see all at once

Until then keep your personal beliefs to yourself like the majority of the world does