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The Holy Spirit in the Christian Experience

by Bobby Bruno  
4/18/2014 / Christian Apologetics

I have chosen the life of Joseph in detail because the progression of the Holy Spirit in his life followed the same pattern the Holy Spirit still uses to get our attention to turn to God.

Because of his great pride of becoming a great ruler over his brothers, Joseph was broken and thrown into a well then sold into slavery by his brothers, who had become increasingly angered by his prophecies. His faith was tested by the incident with Potiphar's wife which he successfully overcame the temptation to sin against God.

But, even though he ran away, Potiphar's wife lied and got him thrown in jail for a crime he didn't commit (just as Jesus was killed for a crime He didn't commit). While there, the Spirit showed Himself through Joseph to be an honest man. Because of this the jail keeper put Joseph in charge of the prison finances, proving that Joseph had humbled himself before the Lord who gave him a job to do to further prove his faithfulness to God's vision of his future. The Spirit kept him in jail for a long enough period of time to be sure that Joseph would follow the Spirit and do what needed to be done during the famine.

The Holy Spirit tested Joseph again by giving him the power to interpret dreams, once again proving to Joseph that it is the Spirit who gives him the ability to do God's will, not himself. His successful interpretation of the King's dream sets Joseph up to be the leader that the Spirit wants him to be for Egypt. The Holy Spirit has the King put Joseph in charge of his kingdom because he had proven himself able by his work done with the prison finances and because he had correctly interpreted the King's dream.

The Holy Spirit guided Joseph step by step, taking him from a boy whose visions of the future had filled him with great pride, to a man who was respected by none other than the King.

The Holy Spirit guided Joseph step by step, taking him from a boy whose visions of the future had filled him with great pride, to a man who was respected by none other than the King of Egypt, and given charge of his entire kingdom. This humbled Joseph, who came to realize that God is the one who gave him those visions and, through His Spirit, gave him the power to do great good in not only the land, but in his own heart as well. His humbling himself before his brothers after all that time apart greatly showed Joseph that, apart from God, he could do nothing, not even forgive his brothers for selling him into slavery. As Joseph himself said, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good." Joseph could never had said that statement if it had not been for the Holy Spirit's work in his life.

In our lives today, the Holy Spirit imparts to us not only the wisdom and words of God, but also the character of God, shaping us up to be like His Son, Jesus.

During the time of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and filled her with the seed of the Son of God. Her great belief in God, and her humbleness, was known by her entire village and known to God, as well. Throughout her entire experience, the Holy Spirit made it plain to her that the baby she carried was the Son who would take away the sins of the world, and that she would be most honored among women for all time. The Spirit protected her and Joseph all throughout the pregnancy and birth of the Savior.

When Jesus Christ returned to Heaven, He sent His Spirit to be with us forever. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells all believers, teaching, guiding them into all truth; continually making them more like Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit's guidance and teaching, we can do nothing of value for God or His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit enables us to fulfill God's purposes for our lives, and gives us the freedom from sin to accomplish this.

Before I came to know Christ, I was lost in being a victim of childhood sexual abuse. My life revolved around trying to be an adult physically, while still being a child mentally. During this time the Holy Spirit kept me from smoking, drinking, and doing drugs. In my great bi-polar depression, I gravitated to overspending my paychecks. I had a wife, two children, a mortgage, a car payment, and a job something a child cannot handle in any way. Still, the Holy Spirit kept me safe and secure in His arms.

In 1983, I gave my life to Christ, but only as one who had sown his seeds in the weeds, which choked off any life in Christ that I might have had. I lived this way for many, many years until I finally decided to end it all and commit suicide. After being frustrated five times by the Holy Spirit in not being able to kill myself, I decided to leave my marriage, my children, and my life behind to "find myself" in whatever way I could. Still, the Holy Spirit kept His arms tightly around me to keep me safe for Him. This time, when He called for me to come, I came as a bawling baby comes to its mother to be held and loved.

As I came to know Christ as my Lord and Savior, my life changed dramatically. I now had a future that I wanted to live for. Even, at times, when I started to drift back down into deep depression, the Holy Spirit held me safe once again, and led me back to His glory. He showed me what real love is and how to truly love another person. My wife is also a believer and together we have a life full of peace where we once both had separate lives of confusion and depression. I am now a whole person glued together by Christ's love where once only a million pieces existed.

Since I have come to know Christ, I have become truly happy and joyful. I am in love with my Savior to the utmost highest. I want to world to know His love and what the Holy Spirit will do in their struggles with confusion and depression. I have the Spirit of God to thank for the changes in my life, as He takes me from one glory to another. I am thankful that His work in my life will never end.

Bobby Bruno was saved 15 years ago in a way that left him no doubt that Jesus wanted him to reach others with His great and abounding love. He started writing at the age of 12 and hasn't stopped since. He achieved Associates Degree in Biblical Studies from Ohio Christian University in early 2014.

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