166. Renee Evans // Finding Purpose in Pain
Renée and her husband, Joaquin, were sent from Bethel Redding to plant Bethel Austin in 2017 as the senior pastors. Renée has previous experience in business management and has spent more than 15 years in the publishing industry.
Before pastoring, Renée and her husband were itinerate speakers who traveled extensively both internationally and within the United States.
She is a mother to three young children and is known for her entrepreneurialism, creativity, and her real and vulnerable communication style with a ministry history that goes back to Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. Renée has a passion for the local church to grow for city-wide transformation and become the salt and light of the world.
Tune into this episode as Renee shares about finding the purpose of pain, recognizing God’s call on your life and more.
Show Notes
Bible Verses:
Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”
Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Topics Discussed
Introduction
- Renee grew up in Sydney, Australia. She lived in Redding, CA for awhile and now lives in Texas.
- Renee was a part of Hillsong Church when she lived in Australia.
- Renee moved to Bethel to attend the Bethel School of Ministry.
- She grew up in a Baptist church, but when she was a teenager, she walked away from the Lord and walked away from the church.
- Renee’s grandmother led her back to the Lord after Renee’s grandfather passed away.
- Renee and her husband are in ministry together. The planted a church in Austin, Texas and they are the senior pastors of Bethel Austin Church.
Balancing Life
- True balance doesn’t exist. It’s more of a juggle than a balance.
- Strive to be faithful with the ‘ball’ that’s in your hand at that moment.
- Give yourself grace when you ‘drop the ball’.
- Being the ‘perfect mom, sister, friend, etc.’ is not attainable.
- Dismantle the expectation of perfection.
- Trying to always be ‘perfect’ leads to discontentment.
Practical Ways to ‘Juggle’ Life
- Invite people into the journey with you.
- Be aware of how your life choices affect your children and acknowledge that with them.
- Quality over quantity
Recognizing God’s Call on Your Life
- Find where your natural gifts and your spiritual anointing collide
- What you are good at and what you have a passion for is often where your calling lies.
- The prophetic will reinforce what God has placed within in you.
- It’s a journey.
- Find ways to practice and sharpen your gifts and your anointing so you’re ready when the time comes.
- God wants you to be ready in season and out of season.
- An ounce of obedience is more valuable than a pound of prayer.
The Purpose of Pain
- Pain is very real.
- By just throwing scripture at a problem, we are not validating the pain that people are feeling.
- We need to recognize and validate pain.
- If we sit in the pain, we keep pushing it down and eventually it will manifest in an unhealthy way.
- We can sit in our pain, but we cannot camp there.
- The purpose of pain is to draw us closer to Jesus.
- It is a privilege to commune with God in the midst of our pain.
- Who does God want to be to you in this season?
- There is an attribute of Jesus that you will only ever know if you have been in pain.
- God does not leave us where we’re at, but he continuously refines us to look more like Jesus.
- It’s important to process our pain.
- God did not cause the pain; he is a good Father.
How to Find a Spirit-Filled Community
- It is possible to have a community who does not live in your city.
- Online community can be powerful.
- Social media/internet
- Watch spirit filled sermons while still going to your cities church.
- Pray and ask the Father if He is asking you to move to another city.
- Understand your assignment.
Powerful Quotes:
“God is a supernatural God.” – Renee Evans
“Choose your hard.” – Renee Evans
“Balance doesn’t exist. It’s more of a juggle than a balance.” – Renee Evans
“God is after the quality of our connection; not the quantity.” – Renee
“We often underestimate our obedience.” – Renee
“We have to hold obedience to the same level that we hold prayer.” – Renee
“It’s a kick in the face to the devil when we choose hope and life in the midst of pain.” – Renee
“There is an attribute of Jesus that you will only ever know if you have been in pain.” – Renee
“God does not leave us where we’re at, but he continuously refines us to look more like Jesus.” – Renee
Resources:
When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson
Abide App
Bethel Church Austin Facebook page
Bethel Austin sermons on Youtube
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