HEAVEN'S GATE

ACADEMY
LET THERE BE LIGHT

INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN

MEDITATION
Module 1

Class 2

C O U R S E M A N U A L
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 LET THERE BE

LET THERE BE

LET THERE BE

LET THERE BE

LET THERE BE

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HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 WHY DO
WE
MEDITATE?
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 THE PURPOSE
OF A THING
“Knowledge produces right use and dispels abuse.”

They say that when the purpose of a thing is not known, well, the abuse of that thing is inevitable.
This is true in all cases of life and the study of meditation is not an exception.

We are now speaking of the “study” of When you understand the why, when you
meditation because that is what this first really understand the why, you will gain
module primarily consists of: study. confidence, assurance, and mindfulness of
what you are doing.
It is expedient for theoretical understanding to
precede practical experience. Sometimes, we Beyond this, it will also make it very hard for
as a people can be so quick to practice and someone to steal this conviction from you
experience a thing that we fail to understand because you have come to your personal and
the nature and purpose of that thing. individual understanding.

If, for example, more Christians asked, "What Remember, my beloved friend, that on a
is the purpose of meditation?" The debate of general level, meditation is consistency and
whether or not it is a thing that Christians steadfastness towards any particular thing.
should practice would be quickly squashed.
Wherever you see consistency in nature, be it
This second class has the intention of in the perpetual thumping of your heart or the
answering the "why." flux and reflux of annual seasons, understand
that all of this points to meditation.
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 WHEREVER THERE IS
CONSISTENCY IN NATURE

A FORM OF MEDITATION
IS HAPPENING.

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 FOUR MAJOR REASONS TO MEDITATE
While meditation can be summarized as consistency on a
general level, when it pertains to us individually, it has a lot
more to do with consistency within our inner lives.

On an individual level, to meditate is to consciously control

the flow of our attention, thoughts, and will.

It is to bring under our subjection areas within us that are

usually placed under the power of external forces. Paul put it
in a simple way by saying:

“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts

itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Cor
10:5

There are many reasons why one ought to meditate. Some of

these reasons are rather lofty, while others are basic and
mundane.

For the sake of this introductory course, however, out of the

boundless sea of reasons why meditation is absolutely
beneficial to healthy living, I have extracted four major
reasons why the practice of meditation ought to be a
fundamental part of our lives and spiritual walk.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

REFINING DREAM LIFE GAINING KNOWLEDGE

FROM THE SPIRIT.
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 Mental
Health
WE MEDITATE TO IMPROVE OUR MENTAL
HEALTH AND HYGIENE.

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 CHRISTIANS
NEED TO
PRIORITIZE
MENTAL
HEALTH.
The first and most important reason to learn
meditation is for the sake of our mental
health. Really, as Christians, we need to
begin placing greater attention and priority
on the state of our minds.

The writers of the Bible placed great priority

on the mind and expressed it in their own
words by saying, “As a man thinketh, so is
he,” and "Be ye transformed by the renewal
of your mind."

The mind is a very pivotal aspect of our

constitution, as it serves as a natural
interface between the tangible and
intangible worlds.

I want you to imagine a vehicle with four

tires right now. Imagine one tire being
removed from that vehicle, and the vehicle
is left with only three tires. Can it function
properly? I think not.

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 Your entire being is
like a vehicle with
four tyres.

YOUR MIND
IS ONE OF THOSE TYRES.

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 OVER-EXPOSURE
TO TOO MANY
OPTIONS HARMS
THE MIND.

One of the major reasons why people have

unhealthy minds, however, is simply because of
an overexposure to more options than one can
process.

Take, for example, your personal computer or

mobile device. Notice that the moment you open
more applications than it can process, it begins
to heat up, become slow, and maybe even
crash.

If you keep using your device this way,

overloading it with so many things to do at a
single time, after a while, the device will cease
to function properly.

Seeing as the "processor" within every

computing device was built to mimic the mind, it
should not be strange to say that the same thing
will happen to our minds if we continue to use it
this way, or better said, abuse it this way.

How can we prevent this? How can we solve

Even if you have the greatest zeal and this? The answer is meditation.
passion for God, even if you have had
divine encounters like John or Ezekiel, Today, we have a very popular word that is
without a sound mind, your service and used so casually, yet very few realize that it is a
worship unto God will be compromised. strong indicator of a mental illness. The word
"FOMO."
There are many causes of mental illness—
too many to delve into in this brief "FOMO" is an acronym that stands for "fear of
document. missing out."

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 WE NEED TO LEARN HOW
TO “MISS OUT” ON THINGS.
“FOMO” is indicative of a mind that is unable There is one word to describe this very common
to make peace with missing out on something, mental malaise, and this word is called "lust."
regardless of what it is presently enjoying.
Lust is not about having excessive sexual desire.
It is a mind that always sees the grass as Lust is simply the inability to control any form of
greener on the other side. It is a mind that has desire, period.
little capacity to pay attention to and
appreciate what it already has once another It does not matter if this excessive desire is to
option comes along. eat, speak in a room, buy plenty of clothes, or
change careers. All of these fall under the
As simple and harmless as the word “FOMO” category of lust, and they are associated with this
may be, we find this kind of mentation at the seemingly harmless acronym called “FOMO.”
root of many societal problems.
While, as Christians, we fully understand that lust
Take for example an adulterous man or is indeed a spirit and ought to be spiritually
woman. No matter what they might be combated, this spirit still needs a weak mind in
benefiting from their spouse, they cannot order to act and express itself.
make peace with the fact that cannot have
someone else, so they go after that someone One of the greatest tools for the strengthening
else. and fortification of the mind is meditation.

A glutton is also the same way. No matter the

food that is presently in its plate, it cannot
make peace with the fact that it cannot have
what is on the plate of another.

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HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
As weights help the body to build strength and
resistance, the practice of meditation is a MEDITATION HELPS
gymnasium for the mind.
THE MIND TO BUILD
Consider your mind to be just like your
physical body. A strong physical body is RESISTANCE.
measured by its ability to "resist" external
pressure without its structure being It cannot resist that level of pressure because
compromised. its muscles have not been developed to that
extent.
There is a man who hails from Clearfield city in
Utah, United States. He goes by the name of The mind is just like this, and every day,
Nathan Baptist and holds the world record for especially in this digital age, we are weighed
the heaviest squat. down by endless chatter, visuals, and ads from
billions of people around the world.
On the 5th of February, 2021, he squatted a
whooping 594.7 kilograms. This is almost 10 Because of the internet and social media, our
times the weight of an average male. minds are constantly barraged with more than
we can process, and as a consequence, the
Sincerely, if an average person attempted to average person on the street has a weak mind.
squat even half of that weight, a number of
bones in their body will break. We are also weighed down by our own
thoughts, memories, past experiences,
Why does it break? It breaks because the traumas, and even high moments in our lives.
average human body cannot "resist" that level At any given time, these things weigh down on
of pressure. us and compromise the structure of our minds.

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 MEDITATION TEACHES THE MIND
CONTENTMENT.
Exposure to so many options within a short "Now godliness with contentment is great
time frame is a major contributor to gain." 1 Tim 6:6
depression, adultery, job dissatisfaction, body
dysmorphic disorder, and even suicide. Contrary to popular belief, to be content is not
to lack vision, drive, or ambition. Rather, it is to
Is exposure the problem? No. Is social media have a profound veneration and appreciation
and the internet the problem? How can they for what we have.
be? The problem is a weak and untrained
mind. The problem is a mind that has not When we observe nature, we notice one
learned how to meditate. interesting fact: everything that has achieved
some sense of beauty, glory, or maturity has
A person who has not disciplined and done this because it has remained content with
strengthened their mind through the practice of its path. Lions have been "lioning" for millions
meditation will inadvertently crumble under the of years. Whales have been “whaling” for
weight of so many potential options. millions of years, and trees have been “treeing”
for millions of years.
It will crumble when choosing the day’s outfit,
deciding what to have for dinner, what Youtube The very complex nature of their being is not
video to watch, and even what book to study just because of the ways that they have had to
per season. adapt to an ever-changing planet, but because
they have remained steadfast on the same
A healthy mind has great resistance to such path. Life is not about doing only one thing.
pressures. A healthy mind, in simple language, Most times, however, we can be so quick to
is what the Bible calls "contentment." jump from one thing to the next that we fail to
extract the best out of any singular path.
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 LIONS GET
BETTER AT
LIONING BY
BEING LIONS.

TREES GET
BETTER AT
TREEING BY
BEING TREES.

WHALES GET
BETTER AT
WHALING BY
BEING WHALES.
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 WE GET BETTER capable of transforming anyone into almost
anything they imagine.

AT WHAT WE The cinematographers have so much focus on

their craft that they have created all manner of
PRACTICE. technologies to bring almost any story to life.

To achieve mastery in anything and to be really

A whale does not try to fly, neither does a lion
good and proficient at anything, we need the
try to eat grass. We see very evidently that all
spirit of steadfastness. We need the spirit of
creatures get better at being what they are by
contentment.
being what they are.

The practice of meditation equips us with the

It takes a long time and a lot of consistent
mental fortitude to have enough mental
practice to become proficient at any singular
resistance to be undeterred in our resolves, life
thing.
choices, career paths, and various divine
callings and mandates, regardless of what
Bruce Lee once said: I do not fear the man
anyone else is doing.
who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the
man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
As Christians, we must place priority on building
and strengthening the mind. A broken mind is
When you look at Hollywood and how they
as much an impediment to our obedience as a
have built the world of cinema into a multi
broken body.
billion dollar industry, it is quite obvious that
such industry is filled with people who have
learnt how to be content within their field.

The special effects make up artists focus on

just that, because of this, they have pushed
the boundaries of makeup and are quite

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 pause!
Deep Inhale.

Slow Exhale.

Before moving to the next segment, close your eyes

and exercise your mind by recapitulating all you
have just read.

What did you learn? What struck a chord in you the

most?

Meditate on these things before moving forward.

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awareness
WE MEDITATE TO BECOME MORE AWARE
OF OUR OUTER LIFE AND INNER LIFE.

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 The practice of meditation equips us with
practical tools to gain great awareness of the
world around us and, most importantly, of the
world within us.

In simple terms, to be aware is to see things as

they actually are. To see ourselves as we
actually are. To see things and people as they
actually are. Above all, to be aware is to see
God as he actually is, beyond our biases,

IT IS EASIER TO desires, and even pains.

WALK WITH GOD Gaining awareness strengthens our relationship

and intimacy with God. Awareness makes us
more humble before the corrections and
WHEN THERE IS AN chastisements of the Father. Awareness makes
us people who are quick to repent and change
AWARENESS OF OUR our ways.

OUTER AND INNER It is very difficult for a person who is unaware of

his external and internal environment to walk

LIVES. with a God who is so very “mindful.”

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to be aware is to

SEE
things as they really are.
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 WHERE ARE

YOU?
It is written in the words of Jesus:

"You are of your father the devil, and the

desires of your father you want to do. He was a
murderer from the beginning. John 8:44

The Jews at the time prided themselves on

being free men. They said to Jesus, "We are
Abraham's descendants and have never been
The Bible literally opens up by God asking
in bondage with anyone. How can you say, 'You
Adam a very powerful question: "Where are
will be made free"?"
you?"

The Jews said this to Jesus, yet were unaware

This was the story of a man who had carried
of the fact that slavery does not begin with
out an act of disobedience, a man who left the
shackles on the ankles but with a bondage to
presence and covering of God yet was not
sin within the heart.
aware of it.

When we go to the hospital for an ailment,

The question God asked was not to castigate
before any treatment can be administered, the
or shame Adam but to help him return to his
doctor first of all carries out a diagnosis. He
right standing with God.
does this in order to gain "awareness" of the
nature of the sickness. Without this, he can do
Jesus of Galilee appeared to a generation that
nothing.
had been serving in the temple for four
hundred years yet was not aware of the fact
No solution can be prescribed where there is
that the spirit of God had left.
ignorance; no solution can be prescribed where
there is an absence of awareness.
They were not aware that they had abandoned
their first love, their first work, and were
One of the greatest impediments to progress
serving none other than themselves.
and any form of growth and development is
ignorance.
They prided themselves on being the sons of
Abraham but were not aware of the fact that
How can one grow if they do not know they
they had abandoned their estate and had
need to grow? How can one change if they do
become sons of the devil.
not know they need to change?

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 “having their understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God, because of
the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart;”
Ephesians 4:18

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 IGNORANCE IS
THE ENEMY OF
EVERY SON OF
GOD.

There are many things that can cause

ignorance, and we shall explore this deeper in
the third module that deals exclusively with
awareness. The root of it all, however, is lacking
the fundamental ability to pay attention—
something that is very axiomatic in the
teachings of meditation.

Awareness is like light, and ignorance is like

darkness. To be ignorant is like being in a dark
room and not knowing where anything is
because you cannot see.

Observe how, when a room is dark at night,

everything in the room becomes impossible to
see. Even if the house is filled with all manner of
furniture and decor, because light is missing,
you lose awareness of where things are.

If the room happens to be one that you are

unfamiliar with, it is even possible for you to lose
Ignorance is the enemy of every son of awareness of exactly where you are within that
God. We, as a people, can be ignorant room.
about a great many things.
When light shines, however, not only do you see
We can be ignorant about the state of our what is present within the room, but you also
minds and emotions. We can be ignorant of become aware of your location within the room.
why we are where we are in our What you see also instructs you as to what to
relationship with God. We can even be do. Awareness gives instruction. It is written:
ignorant of the state of people around us,
regardless of whether we see them every “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding
day. of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” 1
Chro 12:32
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AWARENESS G I V E S I N S T R U C T I O N

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SPIRITUAL SIGHT IS
At the root of any successful enterprise,
business or otherwise, would be found a
certain measure of awareness. Businesses
ALWAYS FOR carry out all manner of research to gain an
awareness of their customers, as well as the
EDIFICATION. political, economical, and social condtions of
their sphere of business.
The word “edification” simply means
“instruction.” To be edified by something is to They do this not just to gain information but to
be instructed by something, to know exactly seek “edification.”
what ought to be done.
What makes your brand stand out? What do
When we become aware of our internal or people like about you? Why do people
external surroundings, we know we are to turn patronise you on Tuesday not on Thursday? Is
left or right. It causes us to see the overhead there something you ought to do more or less
obstacle threatening to hit our heads and bend of?
down to avoid it.
This same principle also applies to our faith
It is indeed true that many of us struggle in walk. Why were you spiritually high in January
relationships because of ignorance; because but not in February? What changed? What did
of a lack of awareness. We don’t know what to you do differently?
say or what not to say. We don't know when to
do and when not to do. We don't know why Most times, my friend, we gamble through life
people like us, and we don't know why people and celebrate when our gamble pays and cry
don’t like us. when it doesn’t.

A lack of awareness causes us not to know This kind of unconscious living must come to
when to stand and fight and when to take an end. We need revelation. We need light.
flight. We need awareness so that our actions might
be intentional and accurate.

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 THIS IS WHY THE DOCTRINE AND
LIFESTYLE OF MEDITATION IS CRUCIAL
TO OUR DAY TO DAY LIVING.

We need sight, we need awareness, and we The wild crowds were chanting, "Crucify him!"
need it desperately so that our footsteps can "Crucify him!” Why? Did they ever pause to
be ordered. ask why they hated this man, Jesus? What did
he ever do to them? What crime did he
According to the Bible, our actions are always commit? It is obvious that their understanding
a product of what we can see. That is why was darkened, and because of this, they
Hosea said, became unconscious puppets of the devil.

"My people are destroyed for the lack of Darkness is likened to ignorance, and
knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 awareness can be likened to a revelatory light
that drives this ignorance away.
Knowledge is awareness. Knowledge is light.
Knowledge is sight. We need to gain awareness of the world
around us. We need to gain awareness of the
How can we do what is right if we don't know world within us. The doctrine and lifestyle of
what is right? How can we know what is right if meditation prepare us for this; they equip us
we don’t pause to take inventory of what is for it.
happening around or within us?
The doctrine of meditation gives us a
When Jesus was on the cross, he prayed, magnifying glass through which we can
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know engage in life. It makes us people who can
what they are doing.” evolve and grow. It makes us people who can
be useful in the hands of the Father.

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HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 pause!
Deep Inhale.

Slow Exhale.

Before moving to the next segment, close your eyes

and exercise your mind by recapitulating all you
have just read.

What did you learn? What struck a chord in you the

most?

Meditate on these things before moving forward.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

refining our
dreams.
MEDITATION HELPS TO REFINE THE
TRAJECTORY OF OUR DREAM LIVES AND
POSITIONS US BETTER TO HEAR FROM GOD.

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 DREAMS ARE A
VERY INTRICATE
PART OF THE
STUDY OF
MEDITATION.

W
hat can we say, friend? Even And how, dear friend of mine, can we talk
though the subject of dreams is an about communicating with God without talking
entire body of knowledge of its about dreams?
own, it is worthwhile to give it an
honourable mention in this course. There are numerous occasions in the Bible
where God used the medium of dreams to
It is impossible to talk about Christian
communicate with his children.
meditation without talking about communing
with the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, of
From Jacob being instructed in a dream to
what use is learning anything if it can't bring us
return to his fatherland, to Solomon receiving
closer to God? Of what use is learning
the gift of wisdom and understanding in a
anything if it cannot improve our obedience?
dream, to Joseph being warned to flee to
Egypt with Mary and Jesus via a dream.

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 FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, DREAMS HAVE
BEEN A CHANNEL THAT GOD HAS USED
TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS CHILDREN.

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 “Hear now My words: If there is a
prophet among you, I, the Lord,
make Myself known to him in a
vision; I speak to him in a dream.”
Num 12:6

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 OUR DREAMS REVEAL
OUR INNER LIVES.
Everyone dreams. This is a fact that we all must accept, despite
whether we are able to remember our dreams or not. Our dreams,
more than anything, are a major portal through which we gain
insight into the reality of our inner lives.

If we are truly happy people, our dreams will show it. If we are
bitter people, our dreams will show it. If we have some
suppressed fantasy, desire, or ambition, our dreams will show it.

On a deeper level, if we have entered into a new relationship,

workplace, or territory that is dangerous to our spiritual health, our
dreams will show it. If we have entered into a season of spiritual
warfare or have some spiritual malaise, our dreams will show it.

Our dream life is not disconnected from our waking life. Our
dream life is but an extension of our waking life. What is a dream?
It is simply “you” changing locations. It is you switching your
attention from one world to another.

The environment might change; that is, you might switch from the
physical world to the spiritual world, but it is still the same that you
are functioning in both worlds. It is the same as you functioning in
the world within your body, and it is the same as you functioning
in the world outside your body.

Because it is the same “you” having an experience in a different

world, the character traits and tendencies we have while awake
are the very same that we will have within the dream.

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 Your life is one narrative that
continues even if the “room” changes.

Your dream life is an extension of

your waking life.

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 YOUR LIFE ONE
NAItR Ris
ATIthe
V E same
THAT

YOU!
CONTINUES EVEN IF THE
“ROOM” CHANGES. YOUR
DREAM LIFE IS AN
EXTENSION OF YOUR
WAKING LIFE.

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 OUR DREAMS ARE INFLUENCED
BY DIFFERENT FACTORS.
Our dream consciousness is but an extension It is a fact that at least once in your lifetime, your
of our waking consciousness. dream was influenced by something you were
thinking about during the day, a movie you
If we are fearful of heights, dogs, or large- watched, or an event that happened to you.
looking men in our waking lives, the same will
also be expressed in our dreams. The only This happens unconsciously, without your will or
difference is that these realities will appear control. This happens because, unconsciously,
more amplified in the dream. you meditated on a thing so much that the
narrative continued into your dreams.
Contrary to popular belief, dreams are not just
random experiences that happen when we If this phenomenon is true and possible
sleep. unconsciously, we must believe that the same
must also be true and possible consciously.
They are experiences that are produced by a
number of factors, namely, the Holy Spirit, foul If my unconscious meditations can provoke a
spirits, the conscious and subconscious dream related to my ambitions, fears, and even
contents of our minds, and the different sorrows, then my conscious meditations can
impressions we receive from our day-to-day certainly provoke their own dreams.
experiences.
This is the point where the subjects of dreams
As we journey in the study of meditation and and meditation converge. Meditation deals with
awareness, one thing that we must be willing the control of the flow of our attention, thoughts,
to face are the facts of scripture and our lives, and will. If this can be mastered during waking
regardless of what we have believed prior. life, this mastery would follow us into our dream
lives as well.

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 obstacle that can be a hindrance to us hearing
MEDITATION HELPS TO his voice.

REMOVE MENTAL When our minds are filled with all manner of

CLUTTER FROM DREAMS. life’s woes and troubles, they aggregate as

clutter in the soul, which undoubtedly
manifests in our dreams.
Let us now remember that the foundational
purpose of meditation as a believer is to This clutter expresses itself as the untold
strengthen our communion with the Father. number of wild dreams we sometimes find
ourselves having.
The only reason why the subject of dreams is
being addressed is because dreams are a Whether it is believed or not, our dreams do
very powerful medium through which God not have to be filled with mindless narratives
communicates with us. and us doing wild things.

The only reason why meditation and dreams Even though it will happen every now and
are converging is because meditation can again, our dreams don’t have to be filled with
greatly enhance our communication with God us eating rice at the neighbor's house,
through dreams. watching a TV show, quarreling with a family
member, or dancing at a party.
When we talk about refining our dreams and
controlling their trajectory, it is not about Our dreams could be so much more detailed
forcing God’s hand to speak to us, nor is it that even though a message might be
about “creating our own dreams” per se. It is concealed within a well of symbols, the
about being intentional about removing every symbols will be very clear to see, point out,
and easier to understand.
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 CLEAR
THOUGHTS
PRODUCE
CLEAR DREAMS.

There is no absolutely useless dream, as each anything, paint a clear picture of the state of
dream reveals some truth about our inner our inner lives.
lives. There are, however, dreams that are
filled with so much mental clutter that There is no absolutely useless dream, but
extracting meaning from them is like finding a frankly speaking, there are some dreams that
needle in a haystack. are more useless than others.

When we live life unmeditatively, with our There are many who have made peace with
attention under the power of anything and these clutters of the mind that manifest as wild
everything that comes our way, our mind narratives in dreams. They assume that “this is
becomes like a movie that begins with one just the way it is” and that it is a reality beyond
hundred plot lines but never sees any one of our control.
those plot lines to maturity.
Even though such assertions are sincere, such
In conventional lingo, this is what people call a assertions are sincerely mistaken.
mind that’s “all over the place.” You wake up in
the morning with the resolution to be There is a genuine and organic remedy to this,
productive at work, only to get carried away by and this remedy is called meditation.
ten different things that set you way off course
before the day even kicks off. When our minds are refined through the
practice of meditation and our day-to-day
If one were to make an illustration of such a thoughts become more streamlined, the same
mind, it would be depicted as a movie with one streamline of thought will also play out in our
hundred narratives. dreams.

Is it strange if the same plays out in our David taught this in passing in the book of
dreams? I think not. The dreams, more than Psalms.

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 David said:
“Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart
on your bed, and be still.
Selah” Psalms 4:4

“When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night
watches.” Psalms 63:6

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 Your thought life
influences your dream
life.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

DREAMS ARE A DOORWAY INTO THE
SPIRITUAL WORLD.
Why does David speak in multiple instances lives. What we call dreams are not just limited
about meditation before sleep? Why is he to contents within our mind but tangible
intentional about meditating on the Lord realities of the world of spirit beyond us.
before transitioning from the realm seen into
the realm unseen? It is worthy of much Our dreams do not always have to be like
contemplation. waking up from a movie, where we are
unconscious of our actions. We don’t always
Our life is one narrative; our life is one stream have to lose consciousness of ourselves when
of consciousness. The only only thing that we sleep.
changes is the room. The physical world is
one room, and the spiritual world is another It is very possible, advisable even, to become
room. conscious participants in things that transpire
within the dream, or, better said, within the
The best chance you have at defining who world of spirit.
you are there is by defining who you are here.
The room is a variable, but “you” are the When Solomon told God he wanted a “hearing
constant. heart” in the dream, it wasn’t a movie. It
wasn’t something Solomon woke up from and
If we were to take an even deeper dive into said, “Oh my God!” “That happened.”
the subject of dreams and meditation, one
would realise that beyond being a mirror of On the contrary, Solomon was conscious in
our inner lives, our dreams are also a portal that moment, and he was able to make a
into the world of spirit. cognitive decision regarding a question a spirit
had asked him. That moment was as real as
What can we say? Dreams are not just any moment in the physical world, except it
experiences that transpire within our inner wasn’t in the physical world.
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 'At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream
by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give
you?”

And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to

Your servant David my father, because he walked
before You in truth, in righteousness, and in
uprightness of heart with You; You have continued
this great kindness for him, and You have given him
a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

Therefore give to Your servant an understanding

heart to judge Your people, that I may discern
between good and evil. For who is able to judge this
great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord,
that Solomon had asked this thing. '

I Kings 3:5-6,9-10

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

SOLOMON WAS CONSCIOUS OF
HIMSELF, EVEN IN HIS DREAMS.

I want you to pause for a moment and ask Pilot in the waking world is the same way we
yourself, “What would have happened to also function on autopilot in the dream, doing
Solomon’s reign if he had answered God’s things mechanically and unconsciously, being
question incorrectly?” ever controlled by the tides of chance and
circumstance.
Imagine if Solomon didn’t have consciousness
of himself in that moment. Imagine if his heart Meditation can greatly help remedy this.
was filled with all kinds of lust and it was
expressed in the way he responded to God. As we begin to become more aware and
conscious people while we are awake, we will
How many times have we had “dreams” see that the same will begin to happen in our
where we made decisions, formed a pact with dreams as well.
someone, or even engaged in some activity
that made us wish we did things differently? In module three, we shall speak deeper on
this subject of awareness.
Yes, some “dreams” are like movies that are
meant to be watched and symbolically Dreams are important to the subject of
interpreted, while some dreams are very literal Christian meditation because communicating
realities that we can and ought to consciously with the Holy Spirit is important to the subject
participate in or consciously avoid. of Christian meditation.

The same way we sometimes function on auto

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 pause!
Deep Inhale.

Slow Exhale.

Before moving to the next segment, close your eyes

and exercise your mind by recapitulating all you
have just read.

What did you learn? What struck a chord in you the

most?

Meditate on these things before moving forward.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

discerning
spiritual
knowledge.
MEDITATION HELPS US TO ACQUIRE
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE THAT IS NATURALLY
HIDDEN TO THE OUTWARD SENSES.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 THERE IS MORE
TO MEDITATION
THAN
RELAXATION
AND STILLNESS.
Beyond achieving stillness, improving our
mental and physical health, and all the
general benefits of meditation, on a deeper
level, it is a tool used to gain direct
knowledge from the Holy Spirit and the
world unseen.

What can I say? There is so much more to

Christianity and our walk with God than
filling our heads with theories upon theories
of God without any direct knowledge,
experience, or encounter with him.

Meditation is one of the most practical tools

through which direct knowledge of the spirit
can be attained. This includes direct
knowledge of Godthrough which as well as
direct knowledge of our spiritual
surroundings.

We meditate in order to acquire spiritual

knowledge that we can act upon here and
now.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 Let it be stated once more that the singular
purpose of acquiring any form of knowledge is
to take some form of action. The world is filled
with billions of people who are informed about a
great many things, but very few are actually

KNOWLEDGE IS acting upon the information they have.

Many of us know the written word of God, but

FOR THE SIMPLE very few have labored to make this word
“become flesh” in our lives. The Bible places too

PURPOSE OF much emphasis on us being doers of the

“words” and not just hearers.

ACTION. Being in an information age where knowledge is

readily available to the common man,
knowledge has lost its primordial value,
purpose, and power. Many men in the ancient
world amassed great power and achieved great
feats with a fraction of the knowledge that is
now available to teenagers in the 21st century.

Why is this so? This is because modern-day

man uses information as a narcotic. It is not so
much something to effectively act upon as it is a
new form of drug to stimulate himself with.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 BE
DOERS
OF THE WORD
NOT HEARERS
ONLY
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
WHAT ARE YOU
DOING WITH
WHAT YOU HAVE
RECEIVED?

As believers, after every sermon, after every

prayer, after every impartation, or after any
heightened spiritual experience, we need to ask
the question, “What shall we do?”

When Peter preached a mighty sermon as he

and the disciples descended from the upper
room of Pentecost, it was said:

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to

the heart and said to Peter and the rest of
the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall
we do?” Acts 2:37

Take this simple course for example. No doubt

you have already learned quite a lot in this first
module alone. How much of it have you actually
put to effective use?

I need you to pause and ask yourself this kingdom, first in our hearts and then in the
question: “How much have I utilised all that I world around us.
have been given in this course?”
The role of the sons of God is to “Let it be
The Bible speaks of the sons of Issachar, on earth, as it is in heaven.” How, however,
saying: can we establish realities of the heavens
upon the earth if we have no means of
“of the sons of Issachar who had directly accessing the heavens?
understanding of the times, to know what
Israel ought to do.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 This is where meditation comes in as a
practical tool to remove the curtain that
The only reason we seek spiritual knowledge as separates the natural world of flesh from
sons of God is for the sake of real-world the supernatural world of spirit.
application, for the sake of establishing God’s
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 EVERYTHING HAS
AN INNER
LIFE.
Assuming man was purely an outward being, it
would have been understandable to assume
that all we are capable of perceiving are
outward things. It would have been
understandable to say that our sight is limited
only to things that our retina is able to capture.

Upon basic reflection, even without digging too

deep into countless scriptures that speak about
As we begin to press deeper into our
a second kind of sight that humans possess,
understanding of meditation, we soon realise
many of us would discover that we can see
that what might begin as a simple training in
more if we look more.
focus, calmness, and things of the like soon
becomes a direct portal into the supernatural.
Have you had an experience where you
witnessed a particular event unfold—maybe an
In the very same way that the eye gains more
argument between two people or a joke that you
detail of any object it focuses on, blurring out
didn’t understand? Have you, in such moments,
the periphery, so too is the soul able to gain
asked for an explanation and responded by
much more detail of whatever it focuses on,
saying, “Ahh, I see,” when understanding
blurring out the rest.
came?

Paul teaches us that, by faith, everything we

What exactly did you mean by “I see”? Didn’t
physically see is a product of unseen things.
you already “see” the event with your physical
Literally, the outward is a child of the inward.
eyes? What kind of sight are you referring to by
saying “I see”? Yes, this shows us that
“By faith, we understand that the worlds
fundamentally, the average person understands
were framed by the word of God, so that
the concept of sight beyond the physical eyes.
the things which are seen were not made
of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3
Everything has an inner life, be it a song, a
movie, a geographical location, a book, a
Everything we see physically is a product of
painting, a symbol, or even the Bible. When we
something unseen; everything we see has an
begin to develop our inner faculties, we soon
inner life, a hidden life, a secret life, that is only
find ourselves capable of gaining knowledge of
made available to those who know how to see
the inner lives of things around us.
it.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 EVERYTHING HAS AN

INNER LIFE
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 EVERYTHING HAS AN INNER LIFE.
Meditation is not about sitting down, humming, Beyond the physical things that make up the
closing the eyes, singing a song, or any other outward structure of a house, a house is also
outward expression that has been associated a structure of energy, or, we might say, a
with the practice. house is a spiritual structure.

These outward expressions may support the Every action performed by men within that
activity of meditation but meditation, at its root, house opens a portal to the spirit that
is an activity of the inner life of a person. sponsors their actions. If people lie within a
house, a portal is open to the spirit of
When this activity gives us cognisance of our deception. If people fornicate within a house,
own inner lives, we soon realise that our inner a portal is open to the spirit of fornication.
life is really a bridge to the inner life of
everything around us. In the same vein, if men pray, observe piety,
and live lives of patience, meekness, and the
Take a house, for example. To the outward various fruits of the Holy Spirit, a portal is also
man, a house is but a place made of concrete, opened to the spirit that sponsors the actions.
blocks, steel, and all manner of furniture. That
is true, but that is not the whole truth.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 DISCERN
YOUR
SPIRITUAL
ENVIRONMENT!

With meditation, one can gain an accurate Obviously, that ATM machine was actually me,
knowledge of the spiritual climate of a space and those beings were spiritual parasites,
and find out what exactly dwells there, beyond energy vampires, that had tabernacled in that
the outward appearance. room. Such beings feed off of ignorant
occupants of the room.
There was once upon a time when I went on
an intercessory trip with a group of people. Because they are infernal beings that only feed
After settling into the hotel I was to lodge in, I on things of a carnal nature, they would project
decided to sit in meditation and pray. all manner of carnal thoughts into the minds of
their victims. They could project thoughts of
Not too long after I closed my eyes, I entered a fear, anger, lust, and things of the like.
trance and saw short men running out of a
particular corner of the room. They began The moment their victim begins to respond to
saying something along the lines of, “He has their thought projections by thinking those
seen us!” “He has seen us!” thoughts, they immediately begin to drain such
a person of vital energy. This is part of the
In my vision, I went to the corner where they reason why we enter some spaces and feel
were running from, and I saw something that high, irritable, or lustful all of a sudden.
resembled an ATM machine there. All the
short men ran out. Out of the ATM machine, a Tell me, friend, how would I have discerned
very large-looking man appeared and this if I did not decide to meditate in that
proceeded to attack me. moment? I would have just entered that hotel
room and slept off like any miserable fellow,
I immediately addressed him and said very not realising that I was about to become fodder
firmly, “Be gone in the name of Jesus!” for astral parasites.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 THE BIBLE IS A BOOK MEANT
FOR MEDITATION.
It is obvious that such a room had an inner life When we gain awareness of our inner lives, we
beyond what could be discerned through the also gain awareness of the inner lives of things
natural senses. around us.

Through meditation, I was not only able to The Bible has an inner life. It is not just a story
gain information about that said room, but the book but a capsule of the Holy Spirit. Jesus
information I gained inspired the action of Christ boldly said:
spiritual cleansing that I carried out in the
room afterwards. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak to you are
Everything has an inner life, including God. spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63
The Bible teaches us that God’s intentions
towards us are good and not evil, but how can It was never God’s intention for men to read the
one discover this without being able to Bible in the same way a newspaper or novel is
perceive God’s inner life? How can one read. It was God’s intention that people would
discern this if one is unable to meditate on meditate upon the Bible and discern its meaning.
God and his word?
Paul teaches us:
How many times have we misjudged and
misunderstood people simply because we “But the natural man does not receive the
paid too much attention to their outward things of the Spirit of God, for they are
actions and not enough attention to the spirit foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
behind their actions? because they are spiritually discerned.” 2 Cor
2:14

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 THE BIBLE IS CAPSULE
OF SPIRIT.
The Jewish sages teach us that every verse of scripture has
four layers of meaning, and these layers have been
described via an acronym called PARDES.

“P” stands for “P’shat,” and this speaks about the literal
meaning of any passage in the Bible. “R” stands for
“Remez,” and this speaks about the general moral that can
be extracted from any story in the Bible.

“D” stands for “Drash,” which describes an insight into

scripture that can only be gained by spiritual intuition.

And “S” stands for “Sod,” which literally means “secret.” It

describes that which has been intentionally hidden by God,
reserved only for those who have the willingness and ability
to search out its truth.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory

of kings is to search out a matter.” Prov 25:2

To the carnal man and even the spiritually blind scholar,

these things being said will sound far-fetched, extraneous,
and even heretic to some. Nevertheless, these are realities
of the word of God.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 meditation is a
bridge that
connects us to the

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

BIBLE STORIES AND SYMBOLS ARE
LIKE A GPS INTO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Every book in the Bible is a portal to a realm There are many ways to engage in meditation
in God that is readily accessible for those who with the aid of scriptures, and we will explore
know how to contemplate the holy writ. that further in class three of this module.

It is rich with stories, symbols, and images Every book in the Bible is a doorway into the
that were intentionally designed to serve as a spirit from which its words were penned. It is
GPS into the Holy Spirit. possible, even expected, for one to gain
access to these realms through meditation.
There is a spirit behind every text in scripture,
and every passage contains the spiritual It is even possible for one to gain access to
signature of its writer. the very writers themselves, who have hidden
their spirit in their books.
The story of Moses is not just a historical
account but a portal into a realm of God that Meditation awakens the superlative faculties
can supply us with divine energy to break out of the average man and gives him a supreme
of every spiritual bondage. advantage over life.

The story of Joseph is not just a historical When done correctly, he is able to gain
account but a spiritual capsule that supplies knowledge not just to fill his head but to live a
us with an overwhelming force of love, a love life of obedience and spiritual accuracy,
that is more than able to vanquish any form of effectively bringing down the counsel of God
hatred. into the earth and making the word become
flesh.
The story of David and Goliath is a capsule of
spiritual boldness in the face of adversity,
helping us to put our trust in the Lord.
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 pause!
Deep Inhale.

Slow Exhale.

Before moving to the next segment, close your eyes

and exercise your mind by recapitulating all you
have just read.

What did you learn? What struck a chord in you the

most?

Meditate on these things before moving forward.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 THE PURPOSE
OF A THING
“Knowledge produces right use and dispels abuse.”

When a purpose of a thing is known, we receive the power to harness that thing to its full potential
and use it greatly for our benefit and the benefit of those around us.

There is nothing in God’s universe that is evil. for it to be used, to behold him as in a glass,
Evil is but a manifestation of good things being until we are utterly transformed into his very
done at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or image.
in the wrong way.
It is okay if people have used the term
Meditation is the natural ability of the soul. “meditation” and even various meditative
One can even call it the sight of the soul. practices for the wrong things. What does that
Everyone possesses this, regardless of faith mean to us?
or belief.
Should I stop using a knife in my kitchen
The general issue is that most people have simply because people have used a knife to
severely atrophied their internal faculties and murder others? Certainly not.
abilities, so much so that discourses of this
nature can sound utopian, fantastical, and Over the next classes and modules, we’ll be
incredible. learning just how to apply the doctrine of
meditation to our Christian way of life and how
It is now time for us all to fully reclaim this lost to use it as a tool to draw closer to God.
inheritance and use it the way God intended
HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY
 Selah.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

 Written and Illustrated by:
El shakar ideh
Steward, Heaven's Gate Academy.

HEAVEN'S GATE ACADEMY

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