Introduction

In the year 1620, how could 120 pilgrims safely sail to the New World? The answer lay in the belly of the Mayflower. In its hold there was a room full of oak barrels that had been filled with drinking water, then refilled with sea water.

The weight of these barrels provided the ballast that was essential for stability in the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There is ballast available for you to help you through the rough seas of the coming year, but it is by your choice that you will utilize it or neglect it. You can be certain that storms will come, the question is will you make the preparations now to be ready to face them when they do come across your horizon?

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATED!

· What storms can you see approaching on the horizon of your life?

· How will you prepare for the storms you see and the ones you can’t see?

Jeremiah 6:16

So now the Lord says, “STOP right where you are! LOOK for the old, godly way, and WALK in it. TRAVEL its path, and you will find REST for your souls. But you REPLY, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

THE REQUIREMENTS

· Stop – before going too far

o We often see, but keep going

o RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!

· Look – a path is already cut

o Lit. “Ask, Enquire” (Job 8.8; Dt. 32.7)

§ Father, Elders, Previous Generation

o The Path is Old – Established

§ We might walk a little different, but the path we travel remains the same.

o The Path is Godly – Holy

· Walk – move ahead on it

o We need to make a response

· Travel – Journey

o Implies a Length of time

o Implies a Distance of Travel

THE REWARD

· Rest – Rest area ahead

o A Place/Time of Rest is Coming

THEIR RESPONSE

· Rebellion

· Rejection

THEIR RESULT

· Ruin (see Jeremiah 18.15-16)

Jeremiah 18:15-16
¹⁵ Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to false [idols] that make them stumble in their ways— in the ancient roads— to walk on [new] paths, not the highway.
¹⁶ They have made their land a horror, a perpetual object of scorn; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and shake his head.

It’s Your Choice for 2012…Ballast or Bust