How to Make "Find" command work as filter

I want to use the “Find” menu item as filter rather than as a search tool. In some perspectives, it does work as a filter, but in other it only works as a search tool, moving from item to item. How can I make it work as search tool. I don’t know if it matters, but I am using it with regular expressions. Sometimes they successful filter out things. Other times they do not.

-Jeff