HQ Factor #7: Play Great Defense
HQ: The Hope Quotient, Part 8
April 9th, 2017
Hope Killers
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
If we desire to be spiritually healthy and walk with God in any effective way, then job number one is
to let go of anything TOXIC
Sin FASCINATES, then ASSASSINATES
Hope Killer #1 – BITTERNESS and RESENTMENT
Bitterness and the resentment that follows are nothing but EMOTIONAL suicide
They POISON you and everyone around you
Resentment always hurts YOU more than it does WHOEVER hurt you
Hebrews 12:15 (NLT) “…Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
Hope Killer #2 – WORRY and ANXIETY
“Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves: yesterday’s regrets and
tomorrow’s worries.” Warren Wiersbe, prolific Christian author and leader
Worry is utterly WORTHLESS. It can’t CHANGE the past or CONTROL the future; all it does it
make you MISERABLE today
“People who don’t know how to fight worry die young!” Dr. Alexis Carrel, Nobel Peace Prize
winner in medicine
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie ten
Boom, helped many Jews escape during World War II and was imprisoned for it
Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT) “25 [Jesus said] That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough
food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the
birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And
aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
George Muller, great Christian leader who cared for thousands of orphans in England
Hope Killer #3 – Looking BACK and COMPARING
Some people spend their lives looking in their REARVIEW mirrors – “I wish…” or “If only…”
Isaiah 43:18-19 (GN) “[God says] Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the
new thing I am going to do.”
Galatians 6:4-5 (NCV) “Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can
be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must be responsible for himself.”
Looking back and comparing rather than looking ahead and dreaming DEVASTATES hope
“What good are regrets? Regrets slow you down. Regrets cause you to fail to pay attention to the
future. So I never log, count, or inventory my regrets. I move on.” General Colin Powell
Hope Killer #4 – GUILT
Good guilt comes from GOD and is designed to help you see your wrong and respond appropriately
Bad guilt comes from SATAN and is designed to shame you and make you feel unworthy, no good

You are FORGIVEN (1 John 1:9)

There is no CONDEMNATION for you (Romans 8:1)

Your PAST doesn’t matter (Philippians 3:13)

You will never be SEPARATED from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39)
We honor God most when we say, “God, I know I’m Your child. I know I’m forgiven through my
faith in Christ. I believe You have great things in store for me, & I am choosing to let go of my past.”
Hope Killer #5 – Past FAILURES
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes
mistakes.” John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach
“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to
forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any
of your time, or any of your space.” Johnny Cash, famous country singer
“Quit worrying about your failures. They are simply speed bumps on the road to better days.”
Mike Yaconelli, great writer on working with youth & mentoring youth leaders
Every hope-filled, thriving, successful person has two things in common: a lot of past FAILURES
and never letting those past failures STOP them
Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) “[missionary Paul] Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to
reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
1 Timothy 1:16 “worst of sinners”
1 Corinthians 15:9 “do not even deserve to be called an apostle”
Three Life Strategies
Life Strategy #1 – Never make decisions when you’re DOWN
Almost all knee-jerk decisions end up being DESTRUCTIVE decisions
Decisions determine DIRECTION, which determines DESTINY
Life Strategy #2 – Respond to bad news in GREAT ways
If you respond to bad news in great ways, you will have a FUTURE
“There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”
Thomas Edison, famous inventor, age 67 after fire destroyed his corporate campus in Dec, 1914
Life Strategy #3 – SHAKE it off and STEP up
If we refuse to let regret, bitterness, worry, failures, and the guilt that rains down on us bury us,
then those things have within them the power to lift us to LEVELS we’ve never reached before
If we refuse to let the hope killers steal our future and bury us, then we set ourselves up for
something great that GOD wants to do THROUGH us
Genesis 50:20 “[Joseph to his brothers] You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”
My Next Step Today Is:
□ I am currently facing a “Hope Killer” in my life. I am choosing to act on God’s solution for this problem
□ I will begin today to incorporate the Three Life Strategies into my life with Christ’s help.
Next week: Join us for Easter! Bring a friend!!!
HQ Factor #7: Play Great Defense
HQ: The Hope Quotient, Part 8
April 9th, 2017
Hope Killers
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
If we desire to be spiritually healthy and walk with God in any effective way, then job number one is
to let go of anything ________________
Sin _____________________, then _____________________
Hope Killer #1 – B____________________ and r____________________
Bitterness and the resentment that follows are nothing but ______________________ suicide
They __________________ you and everyone around you
Resentment always hurts _________ more than it does ___________________ hurt you
Hebrews 12:15 (NLT) “…Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
Hope Killer #2 – W___________________ and a______________________
“Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves: yesterday’s regrets and
tomorrow’s worries.” Warren Wiersbe, prolific Christian author and leader
Worry is utterly __________________. It can’t _______________ the past or _______________
the future; all it does it make you ___________________ today
“People who don’t know how to fight worry die young!” Dr. Alexis Carrel, Nobel Peace Prize
winner in medicine
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie ten
Boom, helped many Jews escape during World War II and was imprisoned for it
Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT) “25 [Jesus said] That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough
food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the
birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And
aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
George Muller, great Christian leader who cared for thousands of orphans in England
Hope Killer #3 – Looking b_____________ and c______________________
Some people spend their lives looking in their ____________ mirrors – “I wish…” or “If only…”
Isaiah 43:18-19 (GN) “[God says] Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the
new thing I am going to do.”
Galatians 6:4-5 (NCV) “Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can
be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must be responsible for himself.”
Looking back and comparing rather than looking ahead and dreaming _________________ hope
“What good are regrets? Regrets slow you down. Regrets cause you to fail to pay attention to
the future. So I never log, count, or inventory my regrets. I move on.” General Colin Powell
Hope Killer #4 – G_________________
Good guilt comes from _____ and is designed to help you see your wrong and respond appropriately
Bad guilt comes from _____ and is designed to shame you and make you feel unworthy, no good

You are __________________ (1 John 1:9)

There is no _______________________ for you (Romans 8:1)

Your _____________ doesn’t matter (Philippians 3:13)

You will never be ____________________ from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39)
We honor God most when we say, “God, I know I’m Your child. I know I’m forgiven through my
faith in Christ. I believe You have great things in store for me, & I am choosing to let go of my past.”
Hope Killer #5 – Past ____________________
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes
mistakes.” John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach
“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to
forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any
of your time, or any of your space.” Johnny Cash, famous country singer
“Quit worrying about your failures. They are simply speed bumps on the road to better days.”
Mike Yaconelli, great writer on working with youth & mentoring youth leaders
Every hope-filled, thriving, successful person has two things in common: a lot of past
__________________ and never letting those past failures ______________ them
Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) “[missionary Paul] Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to
reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
1 Timothy 1:16 “worst of sinners”
1 Corinthians 15:9 “do not even deserve to be called an apostle”
Three Life Strategies
Life Strategy #1 – Never make decisions when you’re ___________________
Almost all knee-jerk decisions end up being _____________________ decisions
Decisions determine ____________________, which determines __________________
Life Strategy #2 – Respond to bad news in ___________________ ways
If you respond to bad news in great ways, you will have a ______________________
“There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”
Thomas Edison, famous inventor, age 67 after fire destroyed his corporate campus in Dec, 1914
Life Strategy #3 – ___________________ it off and ______________ up
If we refuse to let regret, bitterness, worry, failures, and the guilt that rains down on us bury us,
then those things have within them the power to lift us to _________ we’ve never reached before
If we refuse to let the hope killers steal our future and bury us, then we set ourselves up for
something great that _____________ wants to do ______________________ us
Genesis 50:20 “[Joseph to his brothers] You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”
My Next Step Today Is:
□ I am currently facing a “Hope Killer” in my life. I am choosing to act on God’s solution for this problem
□ I will begin today to incorporate the Three Life Strategies into my life with Christ’s help.
Next week: Join us for Easter! Bring a friend!!!