July 26th, 2026: Lead What They Need - Pastor Corey J Hodges

Paul tells the church at Thessalonica that people do not all need the same kind of response. The text says to warn the idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and be patient with everyone. Good leadership takes that verse seriously because good leaders do not lead everyone the same way. The call is simple and plain: lead what they need.

The idea of leadership here is not just position, title, or personality. Leadership is influence, whether in a home, a job, a ministry, a marriage, or a team. The hammer image makes the point clear: to a hammer, everything looks like a nail. A person with a strong personality may assume everybody needs the same instruction, the same correction, the same freedom, or the same pressure. But people are different, and strong leadership learns not to project one style onto everybody else.

The need determines the response. Some people have high commitment but low competence, so direction is what they need. Proverbs says desire without knowledge is not good. A good heart matters, but a good heart still needs training, instruction, clarity, and a picture of what success looks like. Potential is valuable, but potential still needs preparation.

Some people are growing in competence and commitment, so coaching is what they need. Coaching is not soft niceness that refuses to tell the truth. Coaching confronts the problem without canceling the future. A kind word can cheer the anxious heart, but real kindness may also name the knot on somebody’s head before it gets worse. Correction is not hate when love is doing the correcting.

Some people have demonstrated both competence and commitment, so delegation is what they need. Exodus 18 shows Jethro telling Moses that doing everything himself is not strength. Delegation gives responsibility, authority, and accountability to people who have earned trust. Risk is built in, but competent and committed people can learn from mistakes and grow through teachable moments.

Jesus shows the perfect pattern of this kind of leadership. Jesus challenged the proud, encouraged the discouraged, restored the falling, and patiently developed disciples who were all different. At the cross, Jesus carried sin, died in the place of sinners, and rose again so that forgiveness and new life could be received. Grace and truth meet in him, and leadership under him must learn to see people clearly.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Lead what they need Paul’s instruction does not flatten people into one category. The idle need warning, the discouraged need encouragement, the weak need help, and everybody needs patience. Strong leadership begins when the leader stops asking, “How do I naturally respond?” and starts asking, “What does this person actually need?” [28:54]
• 2. Fair does not mean same The desire to treat everyone fairly can turn into the mistake of treating everyone exactly alike. Different people carry different histories, skills, fears, cultures, and capacities. Fairness becomes wisdom when it gives the right response to the right need instead of forcing the same tool onto every person. [41:32]
• 3. Desire still needs knowledge A willing heart is a beautiful start, but Proverbs warns that desire without knowledge is not good. The person with passion still needs steps, training, outcomes, and a clear picture of success. Leadership honors potential by preparing it, not by pretending it is already mature. [47:22]
• 4. Correction can be real love A painful truth is not automatically mean. Love may speak gently, but love will still speak when silence leaves somebody in danger or immaturity. Coaching refuses to cancel a person’s future, but it also refuses to ignore the problem that is blocking their growth. [59:52]
• 5. Delegation lets people soar Competent and committed people cannot grow under constant micromanagement. Delegation carries risk because even good people make mistakes, but those mistakes can become teachable moments. A leader who releases trustworthy people strengthens tomorrow’s team instead of just protecting today’s task. [63:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [22:25] - Opening Prayer And Scripture
• [27:55] - Paul’s Instructions To Different People
• [28:54] - Lead What They Need
• [30:42] - Direction, Coaching, And Delegation
• [32:38] - The Hammer And The Nail
• [38:43] - Competence And Commitment
• [41:32] - Fairness Is Not Sameness
• [46:22] - When People Need Direction
• [49:06] - Showing What Success Looks Like
• [54:22] - When People Need Coaching
• [59:52] - Correction Without Canceling The Future
• [62:53] - When People Need Delegation
• [68:25] - Jesus Leads With Grace And Truth
• [69:15] - Invitation To Salvation And Prayer

Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:14
“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” [27:45]

Proverbs 19:2
“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” [47:10]

Exodus 18:13-26
“The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, 'What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?' And Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.' Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.' So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.”

Proverbs 12:25
“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

Observation questions

1. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, what four different responses does Paul give, and which kinds of people is each response meant for? [28:31]
2. What are the two questions that help identify what kind of leadership a person may need? [40:04]
3. What does Proverbs 19:2 add to the picture of someone who is willing and sincere but still needs direction? [47:10]
4. In Exodus 18, what signs showed that Moses was carrying too much by himself, and what specific plan did Jethro give him instead? [01:04:03]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says to warn the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with them all. What does this show about the difference between treating people fairly and treating everyone exactly the same? [41:41]
2. If desire without knowledge is not good, why is passion alone not enough for a person to be trusted with responsibility? What kind of training or clarity may still be needed? [49:20]
3. A good word can cheer an anxious heart, but love also tells the truth. How can correction be an expression of love instead of rejection? [01:00:17]
4. Exodus 18 shows that doing everything personally is not always strength. Why can refusing to delegate actually weaken both the leader and the people being led? [01:06:18]

Application questions

1. In this season, who is one person under this group member’s influence who clearly needs direction, not just encouragement? What would it look like to make the task, the next step, and the picture of success more clear for that person? [49:20]
2. Where might this group member be using the same leadership style on everyone—at home, at work, in ministry, or in friendship? What signs suggest that a different response is needed? [33:11]
3. Is there someone who seems discouraged or anxious right now? What would a good word sound like for that person, and how can it be given in a way that is honest and strengthening? [56:05]
4. Has this group member confused being nice with being loving? Is there a hard but necessary conversation that has been avoided because it felt uncomfortable? [59:52]
5. Is there an area where this group member keeps doing too much because it feels safer or faster? Who may be ready for more responsibility, and what would healthy delegation look like there? [01:03:08]
6. When someone trustworthy makes a mistake, does this group member usually pull control back or use it as a teachable moment? What might it look like to help that person grow instead of shutting them down? [01:05:14]
7. Jesus leads with both grace and truth. In a current relationship, which side comes more naturally right now—grace or truth—and what would it look like to bring the other side in as well? [01:08:39]