Sixteen years ago this month, I followed God’s call to step out in faith and launch a ministry called Established Footsteps. It was a step into the unknown… and 16 years down the road, there is still much to be discovered.

These 16 years have been marked by God’s creativity and faithfulness and the generosity and service of many.  God has been so faithful as we’ve served Him in various creative ways to promote His Word!  And His people have been so generous with their talents, time and resources. 

As I pause to reflect on this 16 year milestone, I am grateful and humbled.  And I could tell many a story… there are numerous  testimonies, memories and people to thank…

BUT when the Lord spoke, “SWEET 16” in my heart, I knew that this birthday called for a celebration expressed in a different way. 

See these 16 years have been marked with one focused purpose founded upon Psalm 119:133, and that purpose is cheering people on to love God’s Word and to establish their daily life steps in its Truth!  

And yet the question would be WHY?

WHY is God’s Word so important? WHY should I establish my life steps in it? And WHY have you given 16 years of your life and counting to this mission?

So in honor of 16 years of ministry, I want to answer those why’s by sharing 16 reasons why God’s Word is so sweet to our souls (and throw in some memory pictures along the way).

1. God’s Word is sweet, because it is TRUTH.  

These days it seems we can’t trust anything as Truth.  Day after day, on every channel and platform, people tout lies as Truth, and we are left to sift through their deceptions.  Even people we may have trusted in the past, we might be questioning now. But God’s Word is different. It is Truth. It is a firm foundation to stand on. 

In a nutshell, The Bible tells us the Truth of Who God is, and who we are. It tells us the Truth of this planet and our place on it. It tells us the Truth of our past, present and future. And most importantly it tells us the Truth of Jesus our Savior and His rescue story in our lives.  Oh how sweet to know the Truth! 

Not everyone believes God’s Word is Truth, but that doesn’t change the Truth that it is.  Psalm 119:51 says, “The sum of Your Word is Truth…”  in other words, take everything you find in the Word of God and add it up, and it = Truth!

How sweet it is to live your life with your feet established in Truth.  And how sweet it is to encourage others to do so too.

2. God’s Word is sweet because it is ALIVE and ACTIVE.

I often tell people that your Bible is not a book. It might look like a book, feel like a book and be sold like a book.  But it is not a book.  The Bible is the living active Word of God.  (Hebrews 4:12) Meaning that its words are from God and they have life in them.  They speak.  They move through you.  And they live in you through the Holy Spirit, and continue to speak through the years.  There is a mystery about that which cannot be explained in mortal words, but is clearly understood when experienced. So we must seek to hold His Word high in our lives above any other kind of words.

Someone once told me that God’s Word is the language He speaks.  So, if you want to talk with God, learn His language and you will have some pretty sweet conversations with Him.

During these 16 years of ministry, it has been my sweet joy to experience deep conversations with the Lord through His Word, and to invite others into that experience as well.

3. God’s Word is sweet because it is a LIGHT to our path.

 In the darkness of deceptions all around us… God’s Word is a “light to our feet and a lamp for our path.”  (Psalm 119:105) If you have ever literally walked on dark path, you know how good it is when someone hands you a flashlight.  Well life is full of dark paths… and without the light of God’s Word, we’ll be left to stumble our way through. But we don’t have to live like that.  God’s Word will illumine our paths and give us direction.

I have experienced many dark paths over these last 16 years, both personally and in coming alongside the journey’s of others. But over and over again, God’s Word has shined brightly and ordered our steps.  Praise God for this sweet illumination!

4. God’s Word is sweet because it is BREAD for our souls.

We all know what it feels like to be hungry, and even worse, to be hangry. But much worse than that… is to be hungry in our souls and left to starve. That is unnecessary though, because God’s Word is bread for our souls. Our souls can be defined as our minds, emotions and wills. These things need nourishment… and God’s Word is the source. His Word literally feeds our thoughts, our feelings and our choices, giving them energy, fuel, and nutrition to thrive.

Jesus called Himself, “the Word of God”…  simply meaning that everything that came out of His mouth and His life was the message of God in human form.  And He also said this of Himself, “I am the bread of Life, he who eats of Me will never hunger…” (John 6:35)

So many people walk around hungry and hangry of soul.  And they reach for many things to satisfy their hunger. That is like giving rocks to people for dinner.  God’s Word is the true spiritual food our souls crave.  And we have plenty of it to feast on often… how sweet!

We have been privileged to eat well from the Word of God over the last 16 years, and privileged to offer others rich feasts in God’s Word too.  How sweet it has been to see people eat well and be full!

5. God’s Word is sweet because it is a SWORD for our battles.

Live a few days on this earth and you will encounter battles. We all face them.  Whether it be internal battles like  fear and anxiety, or external struggles both big and small.  What do we do when the battles start?  How do we fight?  How do we persevere? And more importantly how do we win?  The Bible is known for calling itself a sword (Ephesians 6:17) and in Hebrews 4:12 we read about how that sword can pierce. God’s Word is a weapon for our battles and we need to have it with us at all times. It is sweet to “carry” God’s Word.

Battles are tough, but victory is sweet.  Praise God for the victories He has given to us and to others through His Word in these 16 years of ministry.

6. God’s Word is sweet because it CLEANSES.

Ephesians 5 expresses that we can be cleansed as the Word of God washes us. (v. 26)  How good it feels to get a shower after a long day.  But as good as a shower feels, it will not clean the dirt inside you. But God’s Word can.  It will cleanse the selfishness, the immorality, the fear, the greed, jealousy, unforgiveness and more. Most of us are blessed to be able to get a shower every day.  But when is the last time you got a spiritual shower?  I assure you, it is sweet!

Our soul showers have been many in these last 16 years.  Oh the sweet feeling of a clean soul… there is nothing like it!

7. God’s Word is sweet because it ENCOURAGES.

We all face discouragements.  But God’s Word gives the opposite, encouragement. See His Word lifts our souls and adds courage to live well. His Word is full of promises, loving affirmations, value, direction, Truth, faithfulness, hope, testimonies and more. We were not meant to live in the quicksand of discouragement… but without the Word of God, we will be stuck there, and so many are.  But how sweet it is to live differently, in the steady stream of encouragement from God’s Word.

We have lived in that steady stream for the last 16 years, and have spent our time calling others into it as well. How sweet to see people love and live in the encouragement of God’s Word!

8. God’s Word is sweet because it COMFORTS.

There have been times that God’s Word has literally hugged me, bringing comfort in the midst of pain. That can sound mysterious, but it is a true experience. And once you do experience it, other comforts lose their value. See God knows us through and through, and when we are hurting, He knows the source of our pain.  So, He can comfort like none other. And He often uses His Word to do so. Psalm 119:50 says, “This is my comfort in my affliction that Your Word has revived me.”

We have loved being able to provide Bible study resources that invite others to experience His comfort. How sweet it is, in any affliction, to know that you truly hold literal comfort in your hands, comfort from God’s Word that can hug you like none other.

9. God’s Word is sweet because it is SEED.

In Matthew 13 the Word of God is identified as seed.  We all understand that seeds are planted in anticipation of growth.  So, if God’s Word is seed, then it is sown in our lives with an expectation that we will grow.

Most of us long to grow.  We want to move forward and get better. But what hope of growth do we have without any seed?  None really.  But there is great hope for growth when seed is planted. How sweet it is to have so much hope planted in your life from God’s Word!

Today, 16 years further along from our beginning, we are enjoying the fruit of the seed God has sown into our lives and the lives of others along the way.  This fruit is sweet, and as we stay in His Word, we have hope for more!

10. God’s Word is sweet because it RENEWS OUR MINDS.

I believe the Bible reveals that God originally created humanity with bright, creative, intelligent and wise minds. As we are created in the image of God, all of these things are part of our DNA.  And yet the Bible describes us as people who have “become darkened in their understanding.” (Eph. 4:18) How sad.

And yet on the flip side of that,  how incredible, that God offers a renewing of our minds.  A taking of the broken, dark, confused thoughts, and renewing them to their original substance and vitality.  He offers that through His Word.  And when you begin to experience that renewal, it is so sweet.

We have seen it over and over again through the last 16 years, in ourselves and in the many that God has privileged us to encourage toward His Word… the blessing of a mind being renewed through His Word.  How sweet to behold!

11. God’s Word is sweet because it PRODUCES FAITH.

The Bible is very clear that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) It is pretty obvious that we need faith to believe in God. That we need faith to trust in God. That we need faith to live for God.  But we must understand that faith comes from the Word of God! See we can know that when we are in the Word of God, we are gaining faith.  But if we are not, then our faith is fading.

As we have been in ministry these last 16 years, we have encountered many people who love God but are not in His Word. And because of that, their faith muscles are weak. We see it, because we were that way too. But not anymore!  It is why we do what we do. 

What a sweet joy to see the faith of people grow as God uses us to teach His Word.

12. God’s Word is sweet because it REVEALS JESUS.

God’s Word is where we get a front row seat to see to the life and person of Jesus Christ.  In the Word of God we get to see Jesus’ heart, His actions, and His relationships.  We get to listen to His sermons, taste of His blessings, marvel at His power and wonder at His wisdom.  See, in God’s Word we get to see the very person of Who Jesus is. 

No other person has ever impacted the world as Jesus has, and the Bible is the source of His story. And our very lives depend on finding our lives in the pages of His story. So how sweet it is that we have access to Him through God’s Word.  

It has been an honor to share the life of Jesus in His Word over these last 16 years, an honor because His life is powerful enough to save and bring freedom.  And as we have shared, that is exactly what He has done, brought freedom to many! How sweet!

13. God’s Word is sweet because it is FULL OF PROMISES.

God communicates His promises to us in His Word, in fact it has been said that there are 7,147 promises in the Bible. So, there are many more than we can even fully interact with in a lifetime. But knowing how plentiful they are, we can be assured that as we are in God’s Word, we will run into His promises.

Promises encourage and bring hope.  Especially when they are made by our faithful God. How sweet it is to live in them!

But many people live with no assurance, no confidence in blessing and favor, and therefore no hope. How foolish to live that way, when we can hold God’s Word in our hands that is so full of His promises. 

It has been said that a promise is only as good as the one who makes it. Well in that regard, we can know the promises of God are true. And we can be assured that as “He has granted His precious and magnificent promises, we will become a partaker of His Divine nature.”  (II Peter 1:4)  How sweet is that? So sweet!

14. God’s Word is sweet because it WORKS US OUT.

Now that might not sound sweet, but it is. Many people avoid physical exercise even though they know it is good for them.  But I would say to you that even many more avoid spiritual exercise… and it is even better.

See in II Timothy 3:16 we are told that “all Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” These are the things that take place in the Word of God gym. 

We need a workout for our souls even more than we do our bodies. It isn’t always pleasant in the moment, but once you engage, the results are worth it!

God’s Word will teach us and rebuke us and correct us and train us… and oh how we need all of it.  And as we embrace these things, the results can be pretty sweet.  We have seen it over and over again!

15. God’s Word is sweet because it GIVES TESTIMONY.

The Bible abounds with testimony… exciting stories of real life people who interacted with God.  The scripts have highs and lows, good endings and bad.  But being that they are real life stories, they speak into our very real life lives.

And we need that. We need the stories of Scripture front and center because they can spur us on to living the lives that God created us to live, lives lived way beyond ourselves for God’s purposes so much bigger than our own.

See the Holy Spirit will use the stories of others in Scripture to speak to us. We have seen Him do that over and over again in these16 years, calling us to things way beyond ourselves.

Revelation 12:11 describes faithful believers in this way, “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and the word of their testimony.” In other words, Christs sacrifice and their testimonies of living in Christ caused them to move forward and persevere. That shows how powerful a testimony is!

Over these 16 years, I have loved every moment that I have gotten to share the testimonies from Scripture in this modern day world… how sweet it is to bring victory to now, by looking back at these powerful stories of God and man, and allowing them to spur us on in Godly living today.

16. God’s Word is sweet because it is EVERLASTING.

There is nothing in this world that we can hold in our hands on that will last, except for the Word of God! So, when we hold our Bibles in our hands, do we realize the eternal treasure we possess?  Most of us don’t.  Even as much as I love God’s Word now, I still have to remind myself at times of the weight of value it contains.

Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of God will stand forever.”

How sweet it is to live our lives focused on something eternal.  To build our lives upon it and to encourage others in the same!

So there you have it… SWEET 16.  In honor of our 16^th anniversary of ministry, 16 reasons why the Word of God is so sweet!

And you know what, there are many more… so, perhaps I’ll revisit this blog in the years to come.

But for now let’s just ponder these.  And not just ponder, but experience their sweetness. Oh I hope you will!

And in that regard, I must conclude in this way…

Obviously after all I have shared, we believe the Word of God is pretty sweet! And even after 16 years, we are still so inspired to teach it, to share it, to invite others into the sweetness of it!

So, always know we are here for you! 

Established Footsteps exists to encourage you to love God’s Word and establish your life in its Truths. To be able to say as David did in Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, yes sweeter than honey to my mouth.”  

Oh let it be so Lord, yes let it be so!