Smaller Bodies Bigger Minds: A Concise Approach to Developing a Smaller Body and a Mind That Works the Way God Intends for It To

By Esther Ebireri

What would you do if you gained a whooping 30kg within a space of five years? Or are stuck with a mind that is leading you in the direct opposite direction of where you would like to be?

In Smaller Bodies, Bigger Minds, Esther Ebireri shares the principle behind losing weight and keeping it off for good, developing your desired body size, and a mind that helps you build the life you want. Based on an extensive research, she succinctly presents the principles that had helped her lose more than 50% of body fat and 28kg of body weight. Also, she delves into the fundamental principles behind the workings of the mind, both from the psychological and scriptural perspectives.

Using the principles in this book, she has regained her original body size and health; and building more meaningful relationships. The book comes in two parts: 1-Smaller Bodies, 2- Bigger Minds.
In the first part, Esther illustrates by facts and figures, that it is the state and not the size of one's body that makes it fat. And that the problem of the overweight is not how to lose weight, but how not to gain weight. "The question overweight people should be asking is, 'why do I gain weight so quickly and so easily? instead of 'how do I lose weight?"
Further in this first part of the book, she establishes the fact that contrary to popular beliefs, 'fat' and not 'weight,' is the enemy of the overweight. She then dealt why diets do not work, why we do not need to count calories and exercise as the only lasting cure for fat. In the second part of the book, she brings to life, the Biblical and psychological view of the human mind. The theme of this part of the book centers on the idea of the mind being the forerunner of the life of a man. "As a man thinketh, so is he." Therefore, she went further to explore some time-tested principles that holds great potential to altar the thinking pattern of the mind. Finally, she dealt on human temperament. She believes people would build and manage better relationships if they had a basic understanding that everyone has certain natural traits that make them act the way they do; and that make one person different from the other. Though none of the concepts in this book is entirely new, Esther Ebireri takes a look at each of them from a brand new approach, combining the supernatural, the natural and the psychological.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Esther Ebireri
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638775348

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PART ONE

SMALLER BODIES

INTRODUCTION

I

would like to start this book with one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. This is one of my favorite scriptures because it shows how valuable the human body is to God. It states,

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NET)

Many people do not seem to realize how valuable their bodies are, both to them and to God. I think many Christians have this notion that God is only interested in their spiritual lives-how much they pray, what service they are involved in at their local assembly, how often they read their Bibles and all of those things that make us feel very 'spiritual.'

But from the word of God and from my walk with Him, I have learned that God is as interested in our physical well-being as He is in our spiritual well-being. His desire is for us to prosper in health even as our soul prospers. (See 3 John 2)

In the opening verses above, we see that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity, the Spirit of God the Father. Our body is God's temple, the place where He dwells. How could He not be concerned about a place like that?

We all love our homes and most people often look forward to coming home every day after work. We never love our job or our place of work to the point we do not want to come home at the end of the day; except, of course, there is something not right about our home.

Apart from our body being the home of God, God loves us, has a great plan for our lives and wants us to enjoy our lives here on earth.

In John 10, Jesus says, The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy, but I have come that you may have and enjoy your life. (See verse 10, AMP) God actually desires for us to enjoy our lives! But how can we do that if we feel bad, are sick and tired most of the time?

Also, God has a good plan for each and every one of us. He wants to work in and through us to fulfil His overall purpose and plans on this earth. This He intends to achieve, by a personalised plan for every one of us His children. God cannot do this directly by Himself. Neither can He work through angels or any other spirit being. Because, only beings with a body such as ours, are qualified to live and function on this present earth. God work through us to bring about His purpose here on this earth.

Now that you can see how much God cares about your body, you should too. He has a great life planned out for you and He wants you to enjoy every single day of it. The only way we are able to make the most of every day that God gives us to fulfil His purpose here on earth is to be strong and healthy- spirit, soul and body.

That is the reason the Lord has inspired this book in my heart. It is my desire that as you patiently read through this book and follow the principles outlined in it, you will find yourself living a stronger, healthier life.

Chapter One

THE FOUNDATION OF SMALLER BODIES, BIGGER MINDS

F

ive years ago, I felt like God spoke to my heart to begin to pay closer attention to my health. He told me to make a conscious effort to work at improving my health and to adopt a healthier lifestyle. He said it was something that I needed to do if I wanted to live long enough to do the things He has put in my heart.

As at that time, I was grossly overweight by as much as 25Kg. I knew I needed to shed some weight, but from studying and making research on this subject, I found out that losing weight wasn't really what I needed. What I needed was a complete change of lifestyle.

Like most other visions God put in our hearts, He gives us a picture of the destination but not the details of the journey. So, having known the destination, which is to live long and finish strong, I started out on my journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Apart from being overweight and tired all the time, my soul, which is my will and emotions, was also in such a very bad shape. This made my mind highly vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. I once read something that stood out to me in one of Joyce Meyer's books: The Battlefield of the mind. She says in that book and I quote, The mind is the leader or forerunner of all actions…Our actions are direct results of our thoughts. If we have a negative mind, we will have a negative life.

This was exactly the situation in my life before the Lord started teaching me the principles that I will be sharing with you in this book.

The state of our mind determines the state of our lives. The man that God made in the Garden of Eden had a perfect mind. But the emergence of sin brought about corruption in the human mind. Also, the mind can become contaminated and polluted by life experiences, reducing  its natural capacity far below the way God intended it to be. Our minds become 'smaller' than normal, so to say, and incapable of helping us become all that God had planned for us to be.

In my quest for what to do in order to fulfil the desire that God had put in my heart, I came across a number of fab diets and weight loss techniques that promise to do the magic in a matter of days or weeks. But common sense taught me that if it had taken several years to put on all that weight, then it would be unreasonable to believe that some ‘magic pills’ would shed it off in a matter of days or weeks. Moreover, I had this inner witness within that what I needed was not just to lose weight but not to gain weight. I am really not one of those people that would be classified as 'fat.' So I figured out that I had 'trained' my body for many years to store fat rather than use them for normal metabolic functions.

Therefore, my focus shifted from losing weight, to finding out why I had gained so much weight in such a short time. Instead of trying to lose weight, I tried to understand why I had gained weight.

Once I found out why I needed a bigger size of dress every few months, I found out also how to 'train' my body to maintain the weight that was right for me. I kept on digging, praying and trusting God to lead me in the way that I should go' (See Psalm 32:8), until I hit the 'goldmine'- the result of which you now have in your hands.

Let me quickly say that I do not in any way claim to be an expert in the field of nutrition, neither do I claim to be one in health and fitness. The principles contained in the first part of this book are the results of extensive research based on the work of experts in the field of Health, Fitness and Nutrition, together with the principles of health taught in the Bible.

These are principles that I have applied in my own life, bringing about a total transformation in both my body and my mind. Principles are like mathematical formulae. They work anywhere and anytime when applied correctly.

I have also done an extensive study on the mind and how we can develop our minds and make it 'bigger' from God's perspective, sharing a few psychological views that are in agreement with what the Bible teaches regarding the renewing of the mind. (See Romans 12:2)

I am convinced beyond every reasonable doubt that if you read this book attentively, prayerfully and follow the instructions on proper eating habits, exercise, diets and how to develop your natural mind or temperament, it would be a huge benefit to you in your quest for a smaller, healthier body and the whole individual that God created you to be.

Yes, we all want to feel good and happy all the time. We all wish we could feel strong and chipper every day we get out of bed. We all wish there would never be a day when we feel groggy and lousy. But such things do not come by wishing; they come by making a conscious effort to get rid of those habits that are stealing the life that Jesus died for us to have, and replacing them with good ones- habits that help us to live the abundant life.

If you come to look at it, many of the things that people do in life, be it work, marriage, dating, sports, eating, sleeping and all the other things, they do them because they want to be happy; and to feel good about themselves. But there are a lot of people who are trying to find happiness in the wrong places. For example, they might work two different jobs so they can have more money to take care of themselves and their families. They believe being able to provide for the things they need would keep them and their loved ones happier. But we all know it doesn't always work that way-more money does not always equal more happiness. In fact, I have to learn from my own personal experience that the best version of oneself -spirit, soul and body is the best thing we can present to anyone. Therefore, I have learned to keep a balance between working hard to get 'stuff,' and working hard to 'get' a whole and a healthy me.

If you really desire true and lasting joy, I suggest you make your physical and emotional well-being a top priority, by making out time to develop your body and your mind. After all, health, they say, is wealth.

Chapter Two

GET GOD INVOLVED IN YOUR PLAN

Therefore, he told me, These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by power, nor by might but by my Spirit.?

Zachariah 4:6 (KJV)

A

s Christians, we often fall into the temptation of leaving God out in certain matters that we mark as 'unspiritual.' This is because we think we are not supposed to talk to God about such matters. Losing weight or setting a goal for a healthier lifestyle falls into such a category.

But I have learned that God wants to be involved in every area of our lives. After all, He is the One who instructs us to glorify Him in our body. So why would He ask us to do a thing and not provide the help that we need for it? Also, He lovingly admonishes us to acknowledge Him in everything we do and He will direct our paths. (See Proverbs 3:5)

God wants to be involved in every area of our lives, but He does not force Himself on us. He wants us to invite him to help us. That is why we find He usually does not meddle in our matters until we call out to Him in prayer.

Revelation 3:20 talks about how God stands at the door. He stands at the door and knocks even though he could come into the house without having to knock. He waits at the door to be invited in. God is always at our doorstep, waiting and ready to help us in whatever area that we may need help. But He waits for us to let Him in. When we pray, we give God the permission to work in our situations; we  give Him the permission to help us. So why not go ahead right now to ask Him to help you adopt a healthier lifestyle?

Get God involved in your journey to a healthier life and let Him bear the burden for you. I have spent the last seven years of my life developing and adopting a healthier lifestyle; and I can tell you that it is hard work. It takes discipline, effort and time. But I have also found out that we can depend on the grace of God to help us do whatever the Lord has laid in our hearts to do. All we need to do to get God involved is to ask. The Bible says that we should ask and we shall receive that our joy may be full. (See John 16:24)

The world tells us we can do anything we need to do if we are determined enough. It tells us we can use our willpower to accomplish anything that we want. But a quick look at the number of people that go into a Gym in December compared to the number that flocks into it in January shows us the futility of willpower or self-will.

Almost anyone, irrespective of their natural temperament (more of this at the end of this book,) can do anything that they set out to do if they will allow God to help them, instead of trying to do them in their natural abilities.

Self-will can help us get started in the right direction, but it hardly ever takes us to the end. Even if a person did manage to summon enough willpower to complete a task, it wouldn’t be without a load of stress and frustration. That is the reason we have so many starters and not nearly enough finishers. The reason our determination and self-will mostly give up in the middle, is because they are subject to reasoning and reasoning always leads us downside our goals and visions.

But as Christians, God expects us not just to start but to finish. This is because it is finishers that get the prize and not starters. It doesn't matter how well an athlete starts a race; unless he gets to the finish line, he is not going to get any prize. Someone else may have started badly, but if he gets to the finish line, first, he gets the prize. It is not how well we start in life that matters but how well we finish.

This is why grace is very important; because it does not only give us the will to start, but it also gives us the power to stay committed and not give up. I like the way the Apostle Paul puts it in Philippians 2:13.

'[Not in your own strength] for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing) and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.' (AMP)

You may ask, 'but how do I get God involved in developing a healthier mind or adopting a healthier body?' I have identified a few steps you can take to do this:

1. Love your Body

The first thing we need to do to get God involved in our goal to achieve a healthier lifestyle, is to love our body in a healthy way.

In John 3:16, the Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave… If we must have God's grace to help us achieve our goal of having a healthier, stronger body, we will have to love our body. When we love it, we will be ready to give it all that it takes to be healthier and stronger.

God is love and everything he does is on the foundation of love. So, if your motivation to be healthier and stronger is love, then you can be sure that you are going to get all the help that you need from God.

Also, I have found out that some people do not like their bodies. They are angry at their bodies for one reason or the other. They do not like their skin color, the shape of their nose, the size of their breast or buttocks and for all the other reasons. And so, they are either not motivated at all to do anything to have a healthier body, or they are motivated for all the wrong reasons, including the need to feel accepted by the people within their circle of influence. Some people may even decide to go on a diet or exercise because they are frustrated by the look of themselves in the mirror.

Accepting your body, the way it is, is a sign that you love it. You may not exactly like everything about it, but you can love it nevertheless. Remember that God loves and accepts you just the way you are. He is not waiting until you get slimmer or plumper before He loves and accepts you. God loves you just the way you are right now, irrespective of the way you may feel about yourself. He loves you so much that He shared the blood of His One and only begotten Son to redeem your soul.

The reason He wants you to take care of your body is not so that He will love and accept you; it is so that you will feel good about yourself, be strong and healthy. That way, you will live a long, happy life and be able to fulfil His will and purpose for your life here on earth.

Yes, it is possible to love our body even though we may not quite like everything about it. Likeness has something to do with our feelings, but love is something we do on purpose, irrespective of how we may feel about it. You can be kind to your body and be patient with it, whether you feel like it or not. (See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

2. Ask God each day to help you

Remember Proverbs 3:5 that I cited earlier? It says to acknowledge God and He will direct your path. Every day you get up with a plan to exercise and eat right, ask God to help you. I have been exercising for many years now, but I have never for once thought that I could do it on my own without the help and ability of God. So, I find myself asking God to help me all the time.

First of all, He gives me the desire and then the grace. The grace of God is what propels us to do the things we know we should be doing whether or not we feel like it. I can remember a countless number of times that I did not feel like exercising or that I felt like indulging in some unhealthy foods, but God's grace helped me make the right choices-choices that were totally independent of my feelings.

So, don't ever forget to ask God to help you to do the things you need to do in order to live a healthy life.

In John 15:5, Jesus says we can do nothing without Him. But you may think, 'but there are thousands and thousands of people out there who are doing great things and don't even know Jesus. I used to think along the same line too, until one day. As I was meditating on this scripture, the Holy Spirit gave me an insight into what Jesus meant when He said we could do nothing without Him.

This is what I learned: As members of the body of Christ, we can do nothing that has eternal value without His help. As believers, our motivation for wanting to take care of our body and lead a healthier life should be to glorify God and fulfil His purpose here on earth. And in order to accomplish that, we will need His help. Everything we do in the name of the Lord (See Colossians 3:17) must be done with the help of the Holy Spirit for it to have any eternal consequence. By eternal consequence, I mean to bring glory to the name of Jesus here on earth and in heaven.

3. Fellowship with like-minded people

In Proverbs 27:17, the Bible says, 'iron sharpeneth iron." Another way we can get God involved as we take this journey to a healthier lifestyle, is to find people with the same goal and company or fellowship with them, especially if they are people who share the same faith as us.

One thing that has motivated me to eat right and exercise for several years, is my association with Joyce Meyer. She has served as a great motivation to me in this area. At seventy-five years of age, she still looks so strong and healthy. That is because she engages in meaningful exercise and takes the time to eat right. I also have a couple of online associates that give me the necessary motivation that I need.

Keeping company with like-minded people will keep you motivated and encouraged with your health goals. But most importantly, you will learn new skills, techniques, recipes and many other things that you need to stay on course.

One or two of such people may also serve as your exercise partners- people you walk out with. Exercise partners are great because they can give you the necessary push during those times when you feel like you are losing your steam.

Also, the Bible says, 'Two are better than one, because they have a better reward for their labor. (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Apart from the physical benefits that one can get from associating with like-minded people, there are also spiritual benefits like praying for one another and encouraging one another from the word of God.

Having people in our lives who encourage us to do the right thing and stay committed to the right choices that we make, is so very important. It is very easy to get discouraged and give up on our health goals. With food becoming more readily available at cheaper rates, we are likely to get tempted to compromise our health goals unless we take in a fresh dose of encouragement each day. Associating with like-minded people can provide such encouragement.

4. Step out: This is an obvious fact, but it is important that I make mention of it for the sake of emphasis --

Once we have prayed, we need to step out and do what we are supposed to be doing. In Matthew 14, beginning from verse 25, Peter and the other disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and Peter asked Jesus if he (Peter) could come to Him (Jesus) walking on the sea as well. Jesus told him to come and Peter stepped out of the boat into the water.

I will like us to note that Peter asked and Jesus answered. But Peter had to step out of his boat in order to receive the answer that Jesus offered. Jesus was not going to do that for him. Peter did step out and he walked on water to the amazement of all the other disciples that were present.

But after a moment of walking on water, Peter got distracted by the wind. As a result, he was ceased by fear and he started to sink (see verse 30.) Seeing this, Jesus immediately stretched forth His hand and held him.

The moment we ask God to help us do something, He immediately sends the grace we need, but we need to get out and use it. We need to get up and exercise. We need to make a determined effort to eat right within the limits of our God-given resources.

I have found out that most of the things that make our lives better do not occur in our ‘comfort zones.' If we must be all that God has created us to be and have all that Jesus died for us to have, we must be willing to step out from our comfort zone, just like Peter did.

The grace of God is always available to us, His children. But what we do with it will determine whether or not we live the best life that God has planned out for us.

As we make up our minds to use the grace of God to our benefit, we may have some setbacks on the way. But God will always be there to help us recover and push forward toward our goal. Peter had a setback after he stepped out, but Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to help him.

As you diligently make an effort toward a healthier and stronger you, you may encounter some setbacks, but if you will not give in to them and give up, God will always be there to help you forge ahead.

5. Be Thankful and celebrate each progress:

Keep a positive attitude and celebrate every little progress you make. Instead of focusing on where you want to be, be thankful and celebrate how far you have gone.

I have learned that life is a journey; and that the journey is much more important than the destination. Sometimes, we can be so focused on the destination that we fail to enjoy the journey.

Another thing I will like you to realise is that the result of making the right choices do not always show up as soon as we start making them. When we start moving our bodies more and start making better food choices, it may take a few months for us to start seeing some visible changes in our bodies. A lot of people get discouraged at this point and some may even give up their goal altogether.

But keeping a positive attitude and being thankful for the grace to do what we know we are supposed to be doing, is key to helping us stay focused on our goals. The Bible tells us to give thanks in everything as this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Be thankful to God for giving you the desire to improve your health, be thankful to Him for the grace to actually do so, be thankful for every progress you make and also for the results that you are expecting.

A positive attitude has a way of boosting our energy and helping us stay focused, while a negative, complaining attitude drains our energy because it keeps God out of the situation. Being thankful and saying so gets God involved, but being negative and complaining, keeps God out.

Chapter Three

YOU NEED TO SET A GOAL

The first step to winning is to set a goal.

- Esther Ebireri

I

received a note on the 10th of May 2015. It was from Marian. The message was brief and straight to the point. I am tired of looking the way I do. I hate myself. I hate my body. People keep telling me I am getting fat and I hate it!

She had written her number at the end of the note, which meant she expected me to call her. I did call her and after the usual pleasantries, I told her I had received her note and asked why she had written to me. She was surprised at my question and she said: Ma’am, I thought you said you read my note.

Marian knew I could help her with her ‘fat’ problem, but she had failed to state what she wanted in her note. That note was nothing more than a lamenting story. It had no goal; it had no aim. Many people are like Marian. They want to change or they do not like the direction their life is going, but they fail to set specific goals to achieve the results they desire. Instead, they whine, complain and may even blame everybody else for their problems.

Let us imagine, for once, a football field without a goal post. We’d see the players just running from one end of the field to the other, kicking the ball at random. Because the players have no goal, they’d have no focus or direction. Goals are what keep both the players and the spectators focused and interested for the duration of the game, usually about ninety minutes or more. Without goals, both would soon become tired and bored. Most importantly, there would be no winner and no prize.

Therefore, the first step in this journey to realizing your dream body and living a healthier life, is to set a goal for yourself. You need to see this as a business you are about to undertake and in order to succeed at it, you will need to have a plan, an objective. Living a healthy lifestyle, losing weight and keeping it off for good is tricky and quite demanding. I believe it takes more discipline to stick to a healthier lifestyle than to get rid of a bad habit.

When you make a decision to eat right and live healthily, there are a whole lot of habits you are going to have to say no to; like mindless eating, watching TV for long hours, binge eating, sitting up late,