God Search

 "The most terrible poverty is loneliness." That's what Mother Theresa once said, and I think I agree. I think of Hell as a place where a soul will forever be alone. I say that because, to me, loneliness is a condition so bad that it that can't be fully described.  Let's discuss... At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Loneliness "Look on  my  right hand and see, For  there is  no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul." Psalms 142:4 Few of us really believe that no one cares for our souls. We choose to believe, most of us, that God cares for our souls. But there are so many who feel as if no one acknowledges them and that there is no place to turn. We find ourselves in a state of aloneness, even when we're around others, and the once exciting things in life that made us happy, gave us hope, spurred our senses, now only leaves us cold and unaffected. In no particular order, here are some stat...

"I trust you," is a very impactful phrase. It accompanies vulnerability, doesn't it? In trusting, we decide that the one or ones within whom we put our trust won't let us down. But at what point does one determine trustability? Let's discuss... At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Trust " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 The word for "Trust" in this verse in Hebrew (Batah) means to have a kind of careless confidence. In other words, it isn't necessarily a trust that's earned, like "I trust that you'll get that job done since you've proven reliability in the past," but rather a kind of blind trust: I trust you because you are asking me to trust you, period.  According to Pastor Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church in Georgia, "Trust is reliance on the integrity, the strength, the ability, the surety of God. It is a confident expe...

I don't know about you, but I sometimes get tired of wondering when the time will come when I'll feel a constant, overall sense of joy. And it seems to me that joy is one of those things that are elusive--hard to pin down..."Am I joyful, or is this simply another emotion that fades with time?" I think the answer is found in clearly defining the term, so... Let's discuss...   At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Joy " Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for  this  day  is  holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 The setting is this: The Israelites have been instructed to gather around so that Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests could read the law of God aloud to them. As and after the law was read, many of the people began to cry, fearful of the wrath of God on sin. But when Nehemiah and Ezra saw the res...

Prayer is supposed to be an integral part of a Christian's life. We're urged to pray on a regular basis. A lot of questions could be asked about prayer: Why should I pray? How often? For whom? And more. But these are trivial compared to this: Does God hear my prayers? Let's discuss...   At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Prayer "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men," 1 Timothy 2:1 "Proseuche" is the Greek word for prayer, and in addition to personal communication with God, it also indicates an exchange of wishes! So in this, the purpose of prayer is to exchange wishes with God. Throughout the Bible, we're reminded of the many ways that God favors us; the wishes that he has for us. I found a really comprehensive, moving, and effective Youtube video on this topic. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to watch it (see Sources). Here are just ...

In the 1960s, the word 'peace' became a kind of mantra, and the desire for peace was seen everywhere as the infamous "peace sign" emerged throughout the country. And those who were most commonly associated with the term and the sign were the hippies, a counterculture who rejected the mores of mainstream American life; particularly the idea that happiness resulted from materialism. But did they find peace? What is peace, and how does one know if peace HAS been found? Let's discuss...   At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Peace "And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 Being at peace is a difficult determination. That is, it's difficult to tell if you really are, at that moment, at peace, or if the feeling that you are sensing as peace is merely a temporary passing.  Peace itself is defined as 'peace' in Greek, but the Hebrew definiti...

Fear is one of the most dreaded of emotions, and yet...apparently, God demands it. Why? Let's discuss...   At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Fear "But I will tell you whom you should fear: Fear Him whom, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Luke 12:5 This is a daunting statement. But since it begins with the word, "but," one would be wise to find out just exactly what might come before such an impetus declaration. And here it is... "And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do."   The word fear, in this context, comes from the Greek "Phobos," which indicates terror. Putting these two verses together and then extracting a simple translation using the Greek meaning, we could say the following:            Let me tell you something, my friend. You see people being killed by other people, and you ar...

We all hope for one thing or another every day. This is human nature. But did you know that there is more than one meaning to the word HOPE? More importantly, did you know that God desperately hopes for our hope?  Let's discuss...   At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Hope "Oh, Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is loving devotion, and with him is redemption in abundance." Psalms 130:7 Yakhal The word 'hope' in the Hebrew language often translates to what one might expect, i.e., to wait, to tarry. This type of hope is "Yakhal" in Hebrew. It's thinking about something, be it a thing, a person, a condition, and sort of without a plan, attempting to wish it into being. This kind of hope is usually directed toward the uncontrollable, and it is very closely related to optimism. When I was a kid, Don Williams was a popular country music artist, and one of his most popular songs, "Lord, I Hope This Day is Go...

In my experience, people have generally reacted in one of two ways when discussing the topic of faith: 1. It is a cop-out. 2. It is the greatest evidence of trust. Of course, both of these statements regarding faith cannot concurrently be true. Faith is either a cop-out, or it is the greatest evidence of truth. OR...faith is at least a bit more than that. Let's discuss. At God Search, we talk about things that could matter, like... Faith "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 The word itself translates to something to the effect of the condition of being persuaded of who or what is trustworthy. This, on its surface, seems paradoxical. If one is persuaded that something is trustworthy, doesn't that mean that they have found evidence that it is worthy of trust? And if they have found evidence, does that not mean that they have in some way experienced proof through one or more senses? And if they've experienced...