How to seek Truth and find it!

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
posthuman

posthuman

Senior Member
#21
Jul 31, 2013
37,862
13,579
113
#21
Psalms 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 42:11
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 43:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.


Three times in a row David tells his heart it is wrong and that it needs to listen to his mind
 
Lafftur

Lafftur

Senior Member
#22
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
#22
dcontroversal said:
The word translated heart = seat of intellect.........the organ that pumps blood has no cognitive ability.........

Romans 12:1-2 Be transformed by the RENEWING of the MIND

The idea behind the whole heart = all of one's being.....sincere, with a genuine, whole intent etc....
Click to expand...
Lafftur said:
Hello dc, :love:

Hmmmm...........interesting.:unsure:

Heart = “seat” of intellect

So, the heart should “sit” and rule and reign over the intellect........:unsure:

I’m ALL for renewing the mind and being transformed! The supercomputer needs to be totally reprogrammed! The whole database needs to be the Word of God, not the world. :love:(y)

Yes, to find truth, it does take the “whole” heart. :love:(y)
Click to expand...
Whoa! Wait a minute, i’ve been pondering what dc said about:

Heart = seat of intellect.

It’s where our Lord Yeshua/Jesus “sits down” and rules and reigns. We give Him our hearts. :love:
 
1ofthem

1ofthem

Senior Member
#23
Mar 30, 2016
3,729
1,921
113
#23
It's not just the heart it is will all sincerity and our whole being.

Mark 12:30
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
 
CherieR

CherieR

Senior Member
#24
May 6, 2017
2,271
1,429
113
#24
posthuman said:
Psalms 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 42:11
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 43:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.


Three times in a row David tells his heart it is wrong and that it needs to listen to his mind
Click to expand...
I don't think David is saying to himself it is wrong to feel downcast. I think he is saying in the midst of his feeling of downcast to put his hope in God. Perhaps he did not understand why he was feeling downcast and distrubed within himself because he asked the question why. Good verses ☺
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#25
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,777
113
#25
Lafftur said:
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart
Click to expand...
This should be placed alongside this verse: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Mt 22:37)

What these verses mean is your whole being, not a half-hearted seeking. There is a price and a cost to be paid for seeking and hold to the truth and seeking God with all your heart. Many were martyred for that.
 
CherieR

CherieR

Senior Member
#26
May 6, 2017
2,271
1,429
113
#26
Job 13:15 " Though he slay me, yet will I trust him..."
 
CherieR

CherieR

Senior Member
#27
May 6, 2017
2,271
1,429
113
#27
Nehemiah6 said:
This should be placed alongside this verse: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Mt 22:37)

What these verses mean is your whole being, not a half-hearted seeking. There is a price and a cost to be paid for seeking and hold to the truth and seeking God with all your heart. Many were martyred for that.
Click to expand...
 
1ofthem

1ofthem

Senior Member
#28
Mar 30, 2016
3,729
1,921
113
#28
CherieR said:
I don't think David is saying to himself it is wrong to feel downcast. I think he is saying in the midst of his feeling of downcast to put his hope in God. Perhaps he did not understand why he was feeling downcast and distrubed within himself because he asked the question why. Good verses ☺
Click to expand...
I think the point is that we can not go by feelings alone. Our feelings can be deceiving at times. We can be up one minute and down the next so we need to keep our hope and faith in the Lord and his truths not just our own feelings from moment to moment.

I think David was pretty much saying...No matter how I'm feeling right now, I'm going to put my trust in the Lord.
 
posthuman

posthuman

Senior Member
#29
Jul 31, 2013
37,862
13,579
113
#29
CherieR said:
I don't think David is saying to himself it is wrong to feel downcast. I think he is saying in the midst of his feeling of downcast to put his hope in God. Perhaps he did not understand why he was feeling downcast and distrubed within himself because he asked the question why. Good verses ☺
Click to expand...
If you read Ps. 42 & 43 it seems to me he knows why his heart is troubled. I get the impression there are obvious, depressing things going on, and he feels them. But it's with his mind that he knows God is faithful and that come what may - even whatever his emotional state my be - he will praise God again. So he's telling himself, his cognitive mind speaking to his heart, to keep trusting and not to give up hope.

The heart is much more fickle than the mind. A person is far easier to manipulate and deceive in their heart than in their thinking. You just put on the right music and the right lighting and you can get whatever emotional response you want out of anyone, but if someone has understanding, and knowledge, it's not easy to make them believe something that's wrong.

Christianity is certainly about faith, but it's certainly not about checking our minds at the door ;)

Aren't we advised, be gentle as doves and WISE as serpents, because there are wolves about?
 
dcontroversal

dcontroversal

Banned
#30
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
20,402
113
#30
Lafftur said:
Hello dc, :love:

Hmmmm...........interesting.:unsure:

Heart = “seat” of intellect

So, the heart should “sit” and rule and reign over the intellect........:unsure:

I’m ALL for renewing the mind and being transformed! The supercomputer needs to be totally reprogrammed! The whole database needs to be the Word of God, not the world. :love:(y)

Yes, to find truth, it does take the “whole” heart. :love:(y)
Click to expand...
The word is used in a variety of applications.....makes me thin of the saying used by humanity a lot......In my heart I know this to be true......the mind weighs the facts, makes the leap of faith and in our heart we know it to be true.....that is how I view it.......

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

kardia: heart
Original Word: καρδία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: kardia
Phonetic Spelling: (kar-dee'-ah)
Definition: heart
Usage: lit: the heart; mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center.
 
dcontroversal

dcontroversal

Banned
#31
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
20,402
113
#31
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
 
Lafftur

Lafftur

Senior Member
#33
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
#33
1ofthem said:
It's not just the heart it is will all sincerity and our whole being.

Mark 12:30
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Click to expand...
Hi 1ofthem,

Yes, we do LOVE the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength...............

However, it seems to me that SEEKING Him and FINDING Him is with all our heart.

God is paying very close attention to our hearts....... :love:
 
tanakh

tanakh

Senior Member
#34
Dec 1, 2015
4,635
1,041
113
77
#34
Lafftur said:
You will find the Truth when you seek it with ALL your heart! :love:(y)

Jeremiah 29:13 King James Version (KJV)
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Isn't it interesting that God doesn't want us seeking Him with our head, rather He desires us to seek Him with ALL our heart...........:unsure:

I don't believe our heads can find truth. This is the mistake we make, when we search for God with our heads and not our hearts.

Here's an example:

When considering all the people that went out to see John the Baptist in the wilderness - who went seeking him with their heart ........ and who went seeking with their head?

Matthew 3:4-6
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

John the Baptist is out there in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair, eating locusts and wild honey, crying in a loud voice "Get ready! Repent! God is coming!" baptizing people in the Jordan River......

Who in their right mind would want to go see him?

Yet, all of Jerusalem, Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to meet him, confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River! Their hearts were seeking truth and found it!

Matthew 3:7-10
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So, the Pharisees and Sadducees show up........ BUT, their hearts are NOT seeking truth.

He calls them a brood of vipers because he knows their hearts are evil because their hearts are not seeking God in truth.

An evil heart is an unbelieving heart, a heart that rejects truth because the head says it doesn't make sense or it does not want to comply with lifestyle changes as a result of knowing the truth.

God hears our hearts, He doesn't listen to our heads. Our minds are amazing computers that collect data, store and process it but, it's our hearts that have the capability of seeking and finding truth. Our hearts are amazing!

When our hearts cry for truth, He answers. Yeshua/Jesus knew when people were "reasoning in their hearts" and He would answer them.

Mark 2:8
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Luke 5:22
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

That old cliche' "Follow your heart, not your head" is the treasure map that leads to Truth.
Click to expand...
I would say we need both head and heart otherwise we become unbalanced. Paul said we need to renew our minds and
we do that by feeding on the word. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire to do so, and fills our hearts with joy
 
Lafftur

Lafftur

Senior Member
#35
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
#35
tanakh said:
I would say we need both head and heart otherwise we become unbalanced. Paul said we need to renew our minds and
we do that by feeding on the word. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire to do so, and fills our hearts with joy
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree we need both heart and head (mind) however, the actual seeking and finding I think can only be done by the heart.
 
Lafftur

Lafftur

Senior Member
#36
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
#36
posthuman said:
Psalms 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 42:11
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 43:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.


Three times in a row David tells his heart it is wrong and that it needs to listen to his mind
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure, posthuman.........:unsure:

I'm beginning to understand that the "heart of man" is the "spirit of man," meaning it can seek and find God. The mind goes around in circles and ends up on rabbit trails.......... ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth.

David's "spirit man" was anointed, meaning God's Spirit was joined to his "spirit man" and together they were comforting his soul - mind, will, and emotions.

What did they tell his soul to do? Put your hope in God...... because this is Truth....... the heart can seek and find truth.
 
Lafftur

Lafftur

Senior Member
#37
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
#37
I'm not saying throw the mind (head) out, we need it too. We need both the heart and the head.

I started this thread with the intent to open our hearts, awaken them to seek and find truth. So often, we can get lost in our head studying and studying and not realizing how simple it is for our hearts to seek and find truth that our heads struggle with.

Of course, total dependence on God's Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Truth to lead and guide our hearts to truth but, it is important for us to be seeking with all our heart.

God bless all of you! I'm enjoying all your comments! :love:(y)
 
posthuman

posthuman

Senior Member
#38
Jul 31, 2013
37,862
13,579
113
#38
he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:
but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.​
(Proverbs 28:26) ​

the word 'heart' here is interchangeable with 'mind' or 'inner self'

the world is very fond of saying 'follow your heart' but the Bible is.. not so much.
 
posthuman

posthuman

Senior Member
#39
Jul 31, 2013
37,862
13,579
113
#39
Lafftur said:
I'm not saying throw the mind (head) out, we need it too. We need both the heart and the head.

I started this thread with the intent to open our hearts, awaken them to seek and find truth. So often, we can get lost in our head studying and studying and not realizing how simple it is for our hearts to seek and find truth that our heads struggle with.

Of course, total dependence on God's Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Truth to lead and guide our hearts to truth but, it is important for us to be seeking with all our heart.

God bless all of you! I'm enjoying all your comments! :love:(y)
Click to expand...
no matter how much we understand or know, or what power we may hold to bear, if we do not have love..

useless

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.