Our next reading is from 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

v1: I… myself: Paul speaks to this Corinthian congregation in a very personal way. He makes himself vulnerable as he shares with them his innermost feelings for them.   

• Pleading: Exhort. Encourage. Paul is encouraging them to have a right perspective or understanding. 
• Meekness: Humble. Yeshua did not come to earth in order to fulfil the desires of human flesh but in order to fulfil the desires and purposes of His Heavenly Father. ‘Meekness’ is not a word used to describe a passive or weak individual who is easily led into doing someone else’s objectives. Yeshua, although He was tempted in every way, never sinned although the opportunity was there for Him to do so, the opportunity was there for Him to follow satan’s objectives (Heb 4:15). Meekness is not a word that can be used to describe a pushover. Instead, it is a word that can be used to describe one who quietly but consistently is committed to pursuing the purposes of G-d.
• Gentleness: This speaks of the fact that Yeshua is not someone who overpowers others by physical means. ‘Gentleness’ is a word that implies a trust, a softness. Paul, like Yeshua, whom he was imitating, desired to come to this congregation in a meek and gentle manner. He did not want to force people to change, but rather, by example, he wanted to show them the submissiveness of his own life because of his faith in the mighty G-d.
• Presence: Literally ‘face’. An idiom. What we see with our eyes. 
• Lowly: Humble. Paul is speaking about himself in light of Messiah. 
• Being absent am bold: When Paul is separated from them, when he is not in their presence, he speaks in a bolder manner. He gets to the heart of the matter by allowing the words to touch them and bring about a change rather than physically forcing them to change. He wants the revelation of G-d to change these people and not his personal presence, personal abilities or demands. 

v2: Beg you: Beseech. A strong word that means to ask or implore. Paul shared with them in a bold and confident way when he was not with them. 

• Bold against some: Paul had been bold to those who had made accusations or statements that he and those with him were walking in the flesh (by implication: not in the anointing of the Spirit). Some of these people had accused Paul of being timid, much quieter and more docile when he was present among them than when he wrote to them. There is a dichotomy/ difference between Paul when he is writing here (writing under the influence of the Holy Spirit –  not his words but G-d’s words) to when he is among them. Among them he showed himself to be of the character of Messiah. He did not physically force others to change their behaviour but when he was among them he relied upon spiritual warfare as a means to bring about change. 
• Think of us: Reckoned. This means to give serious thought or consideration to something.

v3: Note: In this verse Paul speaks about the reality of his behaviour. 

• We walk in the flesh: Paul is referring to the fact that he is alive, a human being with a fleshly body. 
• Do not war according to the flesh: His warfare wasn’t based upon physical means. That is why Paul was not overwhelming, forceful or powerful when he was personally with them. 

v4: Weapons of our warfare: These are weapons (written in the plural) that belong to G-d. These are the anointing and the moving of the Spirit of G-d in their midst. This is what Paul relied on when he was with them –  not his physical actions, deeds, behaviours.

• Carnal: Physical, fleshly.
• Pulling down: Destroying.
• Strongholds: This is written in the plural and refers to the strongholds of the enemy.

Note: These are a few spiritual principles about how the enemy works: 

1. He wants us to do things in our lives that are against the standards, commandments and judgments of G-d.
2. When we violate truth by behaving in a disobedient manner this gives the enemy an entrance into our lives and he uses that foothold to begin to build his own stronghold in our lives. 
3. If we do not repent and do not turn back to the standards of G-d these little footholds will turn into large strongholds. Satan wants to exploit us for his own objectives. He wants to control and influence our perspective (how we see things and how we think) so that he can control our actions. 
4. Strongholds in our lives makes victory a lot harder to achieve, as we will find it easier to succumb to temptation. 

v5: Note: This is a very important verse for spiritual growth. It is foundational for anyone who wants to walk in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and for anyone who wants to experience G-d’s presence and victory in various aspects of their lives.

• Casting down: Bringing down
• Arguments: This is a word derived from human logic. Human logic (doing what seems right in our own eyes) always argues against the truth of G-d. 
• Every high thing: Exalted thing. This is rooted in pride. 
• Exalts: Lifts up. We (when we are unrepentant) are the ones who do the lifting up. In this context it means that we, having been deceived, put significance on things that we should not place significance on. 
• Against the knowledge of G-d: When we put great significance on things we exalt or lift them up. We begin to see them as desirable, and we begin to pursue those things rather than pursuing the things of G-d. This begins to adversely affect our knowledge of G-d. When we place significance on those things which are against the will of G-d it is going to impair our ability to know G-d which will ultimately lead to us being deceived and therefore defeated by the enemy. The ability to serve G-d is directly related to the knowledge of G-d. The more we know G-d the better we are able to serve Him. 
• To the obedience of Messiah: This should be our objective. Any desire, any idea, any objective that we have needs to be brought before Him and submitted to His authority.

v6: (literally): “And in preparation having to vindicate all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Note: Paul knows that fulfilling this ultimate call to bring everything into the obedience of Messiah is a process. In this verse we see Paul’s grace extended to people in this regard. 

• Preparation: Readiness. Paul is wanting us (and himself) to be prepared in our desires and behaviours to bring forth righteousness from every situation we find ourselves in. 
• To vindicate: Retribution. This is a very unique word. This is not a word for wanting to get even or wanting our own justification. Vengeance belongs to the L-rd (Roms 12:19-21). In the Greek, this word for vengeance contains the word for righteousness. Vengeance is what G-d does in order to bring righteousness or justice out of a situation.
• Vindicate all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled: Paul wants to enact that which is going to set things in a righteous order but he cannot do that until obedience is fulfilled. This obedience will only be fulfilled when all those who are going to obey do obey, and when all those who are going to repent and submit to G-d’s authority repent and submit. There is a timing (a time period) attached to this verse that alludes to the long suffering of G-d (2 Peter 3:8-9).