Wisdom Nuggets For Transition Seasons by Pastor Jerry Eze: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

A Divine Makeover on the Mountain

Luke 9:28-36 — after eight days, Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, His countenance was altered and His clothing became white and glistening. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him in glory. Peter and the others were heavy with sleep, but when they woke they saw His glory. Peter said, "Master, it is good for us to be here — let us make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah," not knowing what he said. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear him." When the voice had passed, Jesus was found alone.

What our God cannot do does not exist. Wherever you are right now is not where you're going to be in the next twenty-four hours.

The Transfiguration happened on a high mountain, and this is a tragedy of life I have seen in many people: they are on low ground, desiring what only happens on a high mountain. Desire alone is not enough. You cannot keep the company of chickens and expect to fly with eagles, because no eagle will come down to where you are — you have to rise up to where they are. Some of those low grounds are not geographical; they are in your thinking. There are people living in a valley in their minds while desiring exploits that only happen on the mountain.

Some People Sleep So Others Can Enter

Notice that the men Jesus brought with Him up the mountain were sleeping when the glory appeared. In a season of transition, people leave and people arrive — but you don't chase after those who left when new people are stepping in. Some of the friends and connections you have carried for years will not be needed in your next season, and that is not because something is wrong with you — sometimes it's because something is wrong with them, or simply because they were only ever assigned to the valley you're leaving.

Metamorphoso — Changed on the Inside First

The Greek word for transfiguration is metamorphoo — a work done on the inside that becomes apparent on the outside. Every genuine work of grace begins from the inside, not the outside. If something changes on the outside before it has changed on the inside, it will not last. That is why, before God gives you something that will endure, He first changes you, so that when it comes, you will be able to keep it.

You may be asking God where the makeover is. Check your inner man. When you notice you are no longer as fearful as you used to be, when you are becoming more prayerful, when you are tired of the company you used to keep, when you can discern lies and refuse to repeat them, when you look at who you were yesterday and see a better version of yourself — that is the makeover already at work, even before the outward evidence shows up.

A Makeover Is Not a One-Time Event

Divine makeover is not a one-off procedure. A man can be made over seven times in a day, fifty times in a day — the question is how open that man remains, so the Lord can keep making his destiny over.

Peter wanted to build tabernacles and stay on the mountain permanently, holding on to what he had already experienced. But your next makeover was never meant to meet you where your last one left you. Beware of Peter in your makeover season — he is eloquent but ignorant, bold but empty. If what someone is saying to you does not align with what God has said about your future, do not let them advise you. Great destinies have been missed because people took counsel from those who did not know what their future looked like. If God has not spoken to you about someone's life, do not offer them advice that does not fit their future.

Transfiguration Happens in You; a Cloud Only Happens Around You

What Jesus experienced was a transfiguration — it happened in Him. What Peter and the others experienced was a cloud — it only happened around them. The tragedy of many destinies is that the makeover only happens around them and never gets inside them. The intrinsic nature of a divine makeover is that it is internal — it begins on the inside.

The cloud came as an interruption while Peter was still talking. In your makeover season, either the Lord interrupts the voices around you, or you have to interrupt them yourself. There will be people you simply need to stop listening to — not necessarily by confronting them, but by quietly refusing to let their voice in any further, because it does not sound like where you are going.

Luke 9:35 — while Peter was still speaking, the voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, hear him." In other words: you are talking more than you are listening. That is how Peter missed it — he wasn't asking what was happening or what he could learn from it; he already had an opinion. In your transition season, listen more than you talk, because it is not only about what God has already done — it is about the new instructions that will sustain and accelerate what He has done.

Your Makeover Is for an Assignment

When Elijah and Moses appeared in glory, they did not appear until they had become — the glory was the evidence of who they already were, not a performance. God is not making you over so you can prove you're better than anyone else. He is making you over because there is an assignment attached to it. He is giving you more so that you can ask, "How many more school fees can I pay? How many more people's businesses can I sponsor?" He is drawing your attention to your neighbour so you can reach out to them. Your makeover is not just for you — it is for an assignment. If you miss the assignment, you will lose the makeover.