After about a year in Babylonian captivity, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to tell Israel that He will free them from captivity and restore them. While most of us have not experienced being in captivity, we do experience our own spiritual captivities. Generally, the root to our spiritual captivity is the weakness of our flesh. Believe me when I say I know what it is like to struggle with the desires of the flesh, the pride in my heart, and the stubbornness of my mind.
As I watched the boys play on their XBox one day, I noticed their charcters were reseted when they were killed or their health restored after a few seconds when they rested. I started wishing life could be reseted or I restored the same way. But I realized God sent His Son to restore us. All we have to do is stop and reset at the foot of the cross. We cannot restore ourselves. No self-help, no medication, no program can reset and restore you. A complete surrender of ALL of YOURSELF is the only way to be restored. It is a choice you have to make. It is a decision you have to make daily. Listen, we do not know what lies ahead in the morrow. Don't wait until the end when you can't hit that reset button-you may never get a chance to do so. The struggles with fleshly desires, pride, and stubbornness weakens our ability to serve the Lord in His fullness. You cannot fully serve Christ if you continue to serve yourself. Matthew 6:24 says that we cannot serve two masters.
When the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed the words the Lord instructed him to say, God gave a promise of full restoration from the hurts and struggles endured during captivity. The promise extends to us today. So get rid of the pride. Humble yourselves. Stop your self-destructive ways. Go to Jesus. Surrender. Reset your spirit and get restored so that you can be used mightily for the kingdom of God and not the selfdom of you.