My Top Advice For Progressing Leaders
Your Takeaways For This Week
Reflection on Sacrifice
The Law of Sacrifice: No Success Without Sacrifice
You Must Give Up, to Go Up
The Call to Sacrifice
Success Without Sacrifice Is a Mirage
Seek First His Kingdom
The Cost of Not Sacrificing
What Are You Holding On To?
Read Online in 7 Minutes
Hey, Equippers! Mike Brewer here.
Welcome to another edition of The Equipper!
This week, we’re exploring a powerful principle that is foundational in my life and ministry.
A few years ago, I heard Bill Johnson say, “You can own a little or influence a lot, but you cannot do both.”
Those words hit me hard. They were words from God that reshaped my entire approach to leadership and building His Kingdom. They sent me on a journey of reflection and recalibration, leading to one of the most impactful laws of leadership I’ve ever encountered: the law of Sacrifice.
Reflection on Sacrifice
As I meditated on Bill Johnson’s statement, a few things became clear. First, I began to understand the burden of ownership versus the freedom of influence.
While ownership in a ministry context often weighs us down, influence flows more freely. It’s not tied to the trappings of titles or possessions but is born out of connection, relationship, vision, and the willingness to release.
Second, that revelation confronted some of my personal ambitions—yes, even the pride of ownership. We all have a desire to say, “This is mine.” But true Kingdom success doesn’t rest in what we own but in what we release. And this is where the law of sacrifice comes into play.
The Law of Sacrifice: No Success Without Sacrifice
One of the core principles I have learned in my leadership journey is from John Maxwell’s The Law of Sacrifice, which states, "There is no success without sacrifice."
If success is fulfilling God’s call on our lives, then sacrifice is the door through which we must pass.
During my time in Haiti, Andrea and I experienced an incredible season of ministry. We led international ministry teams, planted churches, and built national influence. By every external measure, things were going great.
Yet, amid that success, we knew God was calling us to release all that we had built, which included two children’s homes, a medical facility, and direct ties to the church planting movement we started, which at the time had exceeded 500+ churches.
He had spoken to us about returning to the United States to establish an apostolic hub from which we would launch into the nations.
This is where the Law of Sacrifice stared us in the face.
You Must Give Up to Go Up
Maxwell’s principle echoes one of the most challenging truths for any leader:
You must give up to go up.
Leadership is not about accumulating titles, possessions, or ownership to build ourselves up—it’s about stewarding the influence we’ve been given to increase the glory of King Jesus.
When we felt the Lord calling us back to the States, we were forced to consider what that meant. We had invested so much in Haiti. We had a growing church planting movement, a strong influence, and a reputation built over years of service. It was tempting to hold on and stay in a place of visible success, but we were reminded of the cost of authentic leadership.
“For everything you gain, you must lose something.”
Emerson
That’s the essence of sacrifice. It’s easy to say, "I’ll give up everything to follow Jesus" when you don’t have much. But what happens when you have success? When you’ve built something valuable? Will you still be willing to give it up?
We were faced with closing out a ministry and giving it away to start fresh with the next assignment God had given us.
It wasn’t easy, but we knew that influence and impact on a larger scale required sacrifice.
The Call to Sacrifice
I know that many of you reading this are in a similar season. You feel the pull to have a more significant influence, but sense God asking you to lay some things down. It might be a position, a business, a ministry, or even personal ambitions.
Sacrifice is never easy, but it is necessary.
In fact, the longer you wait to pay the price, the more costly it becomes.
As leaders in the Kingdom of God, we cannot afford to hold on to the old when God calls us to the new.
The Apostle Paul understood this well when he wrote:
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 (NIV)
Paul recognized that everything he had achieved in the natural was insignificant compared to the eternal rewards of following Jesus.
He was willing to lose everything to gain the true prize.
Success Without Sacrifice Is a Mirage
One of the biggest traps we face as leaders is the temptation to seek success without paying the price. But the truth is, there is no level of true, godly influence without sacrifice.
Many want the glory of leadership without the testimony of its cost. But God is clear that there is no shortcut to Kingdom success.
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:39 (NIV)
True success in the Kingdom comes when we are willing to let go of everything we think we want to receive. It’s not about climbing the ladder of success in the world’s eyes but seeking His Kingdom first and becoming a servant leader of others.
As I step into more significant Kingdom influence, I’ve seen firsthand how sacrifice transforms lives. Many have made tremendous sacrifices to join my One-Year Deliverance Mentorship Program, committing to a deeper walk with God and a relentless pursuit of freedom for themselves and others.
It’s a testament to the power of laying down comfort and convenience to embrace the call of deliverance and leadership. By sacrificing their time, resources, and energy, they’ve positioned themselves for exponential growth and impact in the spiritual realm, embodying the very principle we’ve discussed today—you must give up to go up.
Seek First His Kingdom
Jesus laid it out plainly in His Sermon on the Mount:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
The world chases after success, power, ownership (control), and wealth, but Jesus teaches us that everything else falls into place when we pursue His Kingdom and Righteousness.
It’s a reordering of priorities.
Sacrifice isn’t just about letting go of material things; it’s about surrendering our desires, ambitions, and dreams to align with His will.
The Cost of Not Sacrificing
I also want to highlight that not embracing sacrifice comes at a cost.
You might gain the whole world but lose the most important part of who you are in Christ. Jesus warned us about this very thing:
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36 (NIV)
If we’re not careful, we can chase after success in ministry, business, or life, only to miss the very heart of what God is asking of us.
He’s not asking us to gain the world; He’s asking us to release it so we can be free to carry His influence in service of Him and His people.
What Are You Holding On To?
I believe God is calling many of you reading this to a season of release.
What are you holding on to that He’s asking you to give up? Is it a title, a position, a relationship, or perhaps even an idea of success?
The longer you wait to pay the price, the more costly it becomes.
But here’s the promise: when you give it up, God will take you higher than you could have ever imagined.
It’s not about striving for influence; it’s about living a life of surrender so His influence can flow through you.
As we close, I encourage you to meditate on these truths. God is always calling us deeper, and sometimes that means letting go so we can move up.
Sacrifice is the door to greater influence in His Kingdom.
Thank you
I’ve been touched by how many friends, like you, have asked how you can support me and my family in this journey. So I wanted to take a moment to share, though please know—The Equipper is written to pour into your life, not as a fundraising effort. That said, I’ve included a couple of links below for those who feel led to come alongside us as we minister to the nations. Thank you for being a part of this community—it means more than you know.
👉 To support me and my family directly (not through our non profit) please click here.
👉 Our Ministry is called The Well Global and it is a non profit - faith based Christian organization based in the United States. Click here If you would like to support our Global Missions Fund.
PS -.Whenever you might be ready, I have the following resources available for you:
The Self-Deliverance Guide - Unlock your freedom and walk in divine victory with this essential resource for spiritual breakthrough and personal liberation.
Available on my website at MikeBrewer.life
Available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/eUfEiUh
School of Deliverance - Enroll and transform your spiritual journey at your own pace! It’s time to experience life-changing teaching and activation of supernatural gifts.
Learn details at mikebrewer.life
The Apostolic Mantle - When you learn the role of an apostle, you will be able to receive the gift of an apostle and become further activated in your destiny.
Available on my website at MikeBrewer.life
Available on Amazon https://a.co/d/fdVyB18
1-Year Mentorship in Deliverance with Mike Brewer - If you are looking for a deep dive into leading people through deliverance, invest in Mike’s top-tier training.