In less than a year, our podcast has gone from an average of 10,000 downloads a month to 50,000

downloads. What made the difference? You leaving us a five-star review. The more positive reviews,

the more the algorithm picks us up. And more people are confronted by the law and gospel of Jesus

Christ. Help us press forward the crown rights of King Jesus by leaving us a five-star

review on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks. As an ordinary principle or pattern, God often,

in our sanctification, in our spiritual maturing, God often ordains and allows that we might say last

what we feared at first. We fear this particular giant, this particular dragon, this

particular enemy. And yet God would have it if we simply trusted him, that the thing

that we feared at first is the very thing that God allows us to face at last. And that God allows us,

like David, to face lions and bears before Goliath. That God allows us, like David, to face lions and bears before Goliath.

That God allows us in His mercy, and this is an example of God's mercy,

to be progressively sanctified.

Progressively sanctified, growing each day along the way,

facing one challenge that often often in God's ordinance,

in his sovereign plan, that one particular challenge today is precisely what prepares us for the challenge tomorrow. And this is a kindness of the Lord to us. I've written in your notes this, Israel's fear of the

Anakim, that is a tribe of great giants. That's right, giants. It's just giants, guys.

A tribe of great giants. Their fear of the Anachim is precisely the fear. This is the specific fear that caused them to

refuse to enter the land of Canaan 38 years earlier underneath the leadership of Moses.

And yet, when Israel finally did enter into the promised land, they faced the anachim last. It was only after God had thoroughly trained them in conquest

in war that he finally calls Israel to wage battle with the Anakim. God is exceedingly gracious

in the order in which he arranges the battles of our lives.

Too often we convince ourselves that we must fight our biggest giants first

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