CHAPTER 10: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BREACH OF FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY AND A MISTAKE 2022
I had to come up with something in my travels that would help me understand the difference and consequences of my actions and of those around me. I’ve seen great men fall, rise again and fall. I’ve seen not so great people overcome and become great. I’ve seen a mixture of all of it — and in scripture I’m able to better understand responsibility and potential. Potential for great, and potential for disaster. I have a story. I knew a very powerful political woman. She was probably a thousand years old it seemed to me at my young age. She was truly amazing, brilliant, powerful, I thought mysterious and always, always an exemplary presentation in all manner of discussion. She told once. “Woman in our twenties are looking for men with potential. However, as we grow and learn, by the time we see thirty, we are looking for hard assets. We want to know what you’ve done with your potential.” Such is life, right?
Hebrews 5:14
New International Version
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Do you know the greatest fiduciary responsibility of a CEO?
The ability to continue in the Lord’s direction.
Do you know the greatest error?
Disobedience without honor, without divine correction.
Breach of fiduciary Duty means you willfully break the rules of honor, honesty and the Lord. Period. There are consequences of such dishonorable decisions. In the worst case a leader loses everything. Dishonorable discharge. “I cease to exist.” “I have the memory of being special, without being special anymore.” “I have lost what God had given me, by my own hand.” What’s the greatest example of such a breach? Unfortunately there are many in the Bible, so many it should scare us all straight.
“Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it.”
A quote by Benjamin Franklin
Deuteronomy 28
English Standard Version
28 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
Proverbs 1:7
New International Version
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools[b] despise wisdom and instruction.
I believe the measure of me is how fast I get off of it and make things right. How fast is the operative phrase. Can l fix a Breach of Fiduciary Duty, not usually. Generally I am forced to accept the consequences. How about a mistake? Well in a mistake, something I am willing to learn from, something I didn’t intend to do, yes, it seems there is grace, especially when I’m willing to straighten it out. What does that mean? It means I will pay a fine for my mistakes, but I’m probably not going to lose everything because I realize the error quick enough to fix it. In a breach, I knew better, I took the risk, I lost the bet, it cost me dearly.
“Breach” has a very interesting usage in the English language. Here’s what I found for “breach” in The Reader’s Digest Oxford Complete Word Finder: “break, gap, opening, rupture, split, alienation, schism.”
“Mistake” An action or judgment that is misguided or wrong.
Breach, sounds like a tear away from all that is good, perhaps? In Chapter 10, I knew better, you knew better. I’ve done it. Caused my own tear and derailed GOD’S destiny FOR ME. It left me a person with the memory of being special, without being special anymore. Consequently, it has been a long road back to relevant and from my experiences I’ve recognized this anomaly many times throughout the world watching many unfortunates who chose to gamble their lives and lost.
Revelation 2:5
New International Version
5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.
BREACH is the appropriate word. A tear away from what is right. Forgetting the one true God and his mercy and grace. God has given you your company, your life, your family, your church, and blessings galore — and you blow it, knowing full well, that what you’re doing is incorrect, and yet you risk it all — for what? Nothing is worth a breach…, nothing.
Revolution/Evolution. Revolt against yourself and evolve. Get away from short cuts, scheming ideas, sin, back biting, temptation. You’ve already experienced such madness and He saved you, right? Good, remember it.
I call it Illusive Gain: A terrible error that stays with you, forever. You can’t forget it. What’s the good news about that? You won’t do it again. The memory actually pays dividends.
We all have behaviors that are destructive. Revolt against such things and evolve into something better. The goal is to behave in a manner that adds to life rather than takes away. It is to be constructive rather than destructive. The key to Revolution/Evolution is to make the change and fight going backwards.
Romans 12:2
English Standard Version
2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
What is a mistake? The difference between a breach and a mistake? Simple, in a mistake — you didn’t know any better. You didn’t know ‘until you did.’ And when you know, fix it, don’t hide it, fix it. You see, breach of fiduciary duty, in some cases, has no out. Making a mistake has an out, if handled quickly. Here, let’s have a case in point. We all know the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson made a series of mistakes with the wrong woman. Delilah wished to know the secret of his strength as proof that he loved her. He lied to her three times, each time she brought his enemies, the philistines, to test his strength and since they did not truly know the secret, the Philistines could not subdue him. It was a mistake to talk to Delilah, yet he did, make the mistake of continuing to be with her knowing she was an enemy. Perhaps in his arrogance he forgot the gifts that were only his, the strength given by God. He didn’t fix the mistake and get away. And then Samson made a final decision which I feel is a clear ‘breach of fiduciary duty.”
Judges 16:15
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[c] And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
One would think that after she called the enemy on him three times he would’ve wised up, however foolishness with such power is a recipe for disaster. The frightening scripture at the end of that passage is so real to me. When you have great power, best you pay attention to the Lord and do the work required of you.
“But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”
Isn’t that like all of us when we are so full of ourselves? We don’t even know we are operating without God, or that we are headed for the Black Forest, making decisions for ourselves without God.., no good end comes from such things. What would’ve happened if Samson was not falling in love with such a temptress, or perhaps in answer to where his strength comes from — how would things have ended up if he’d said, “my strength comes from God.” Guess we won’t know what would’ve happened because that’s not what he said and it cost him everything. He had the memory of being special, but he wasn’t special anymore.
Luke 12:47-49
Evangelical Heritage Version
47 That servant who knew his master’s will and did not prepare or act according to what his master wanted, will be punished severely. 48 But the one who did not know, and did something worthy of punishment, will be punished lightly. From everyone to whom much was given, much will be expected. From the one who was entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
The devil will help you discover a good reason to defile what the Lord has blessed. You’ll feel justified in doing selfish, crummy little ugly things, in the name of all that is good. And of course, in the end you’ll realize the worst.
Breach of fiduciary duty becomes easier and easier, until you lose everything. Fight the temptation to do that what is clearly incorrect. Disobedience becomes easier the more you get away with it. Obedience becomes easier the more you do that! One yields and the other does not. One gives and the other takes. You and I choose breach of fiduciary duty and we pay a hideous cost. You and I choose to fix a mistake as quick as we realize what we did. Hopefully we are allowed to repay what has been done and learn. Breach is serious consequence, mistake is fixable. Are there arguments to this? Sure. Who cares. I got the picture and I’m here to share what I’ve learned, lucky you, lucky me. I’m not here to argue the point. Take the good and run with it.
Learn to avoid breach of fiduciary duty, learn to correct mistakes.
Practice winning against chaos.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty is when I have clearly not learned from my mistakes and do not fear consequences or God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
English Standard Version
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
It would seem sometimes that when in difficult situations that prayers are not being answered? Is God watching?
Remember this my friends:
The teacher is always quiet during the test.
Leadership is not for sissy’s.
John 21:25
American Standard Version
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written.
Amen.
