Knowing

"Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?'
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, 'Why are you thinking these things?'"
Mark 2:6-8 


Four men heard that Jesus had come to their town. They had a dear friend who was paralyzed and lay on a mat all the time. So they brought him to the place where Jesus was. But there was such a large crowd that they could not get inside the door. So, climbing onto the roof, they dug through and lowered their friend down to Jesus using ropes. Jesus, moved by their great faith, said to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." Of course, this upset the religious leaders and they thought evil thoughts about Jesus. This is where we pick up the story in the scriptures above. There is something here that applies to all of us and we must follow the example of Christ.
    The phrase that strikes me as vitally important is this: "Jesus knew in his spirit...". According to the story, the teachers of the law never said anything out loud, they thought these things. But Jesus knew in his spirit. It's easy for us to accept this. Of course he knew, he was God! Although he was indeed God, he was a human just like us. He had been filled with the Holy Spirit the day he was baptized in water by John. He underwent the same process we have. The same Holy Spirit that lived in him is the one who lives in us now. Jesus knew what they were thinking because the Holy Spirit told him. 
    We sometimes forget that Jesus chose to set his deity aside and live as a man on the earth. He was tempted in the same ways we are. He dealt with the same situations we do. Yet he lived without sin, taught with absolute authority, and performed many signs, wonders, and miracles. He did this because he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Now here is the great truth we need to hear: We are empowered in the same way Jesus was. The Holy Spirit who lives in us empowers us to hear and do the same things Jesus did. Yet we still struggle with our own minds. When the Holy Spirit speaks, we don't recognize it because it is mixed up with all the other flesh and worldly thoughts in our heads. But we can learn to hear him.
    There are keys to hearing the Holy Spirit. One key is to pay attention. Often we don't hear him because we aren't paying close enough attention to him. Another key is to remove the flesh from our ears. When we are consumed with fleshly thoughts and sin, it is difficult to hear clearly. So we must remove these issues. Stephen told the Pharisees that they had uncircumcised hearts and ears. For this, they stoned him to death. But it was true and is still true today. We must circumcise (cut away the flesh) from our hearts and ears. Then we will hear clearly what the Holy Spirit is saying. We do this by confessing sin daily and then walking in repentance by turning away from those sins in both deed and thought. This is the way we learn to hear the Holy Spirit as Jesus did. Practice listening for his voice. When he speaks, it is more than just another thought, it is a deep kind of 'knowing.' He reveals things we did not know before. Listen, hear, and know.