The Power of Forgiveness: The Road to Healing and Restoration

By Sandra Heard

Author, coach, and speaker Sandra Heard shares powerful insight that everyone needs to embrace about the power of forgiveness. This life changing message will help you on your road to healing and restoration. It will also help you identify where you have been stuck and equip you with the tools to move forward from past and/or current hurtful relationships.

Sandra knows firsthand what happens when you hold unforgiveness in your heart. She provides wisdom, biblical principles, practical insights and tips that will help you:

• Understand what forgiveness is and what forgiveness is not.

• How to let go of past hurt and pain.

• Bring awareness and the connection between forgiveness and emotional, physical, and spiritual healing.

She invites you to share in her God inspired journey on how The Power of Forgiveness changed the very course of her life that unlocked the door to her healing and restoration to her once toxic marriage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973686873

Sandra Heard

Sandra is a visionary, forward leader. She is a powerful, thought provoking author, coach, motivational/inspirational speaker, and spiritual guidance advisor. She is certified in Caring for People God’s Way and Relationship Coaching through American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) Light University. She is also a certified Prepare/Enrichment Relationship Facilitator and Small Group Facilitator. Sandra works with her husband as pre-marital mentors, and couples whose marriages are in need of healing. Sandra is the founder and president of Speak Life Ministries which helps to empower women in need of healing and help them reach their God ordained purpose through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sandra is also a co-founder of Akron Summit Scribes Faith Based Writer’s Club. She joined forces with her two business partners in 2017 to establish the writer’s club that was God inspired, charging them to serve as spiritual midwives helping others birth forth their writing gifts from concept to market place delivery. Sandra Heard fell in love with the art of writing and storytelling on her road to healing. She was led to journal her pain, heartache, and despair not realizing that God was setting her up for something greater. Sandra was charged by the Lord in July 2008 to write her message to the masses on the Power of Forgiveness. In her God Inspired book, Sandra shares powerful insight that everyone should embrace about the power of forgiveness starting with understanding forgiveness and ending in healing and restoration. She shows the reader how to travel the road to healing through faith, prayer and self-examination. Sandra believes The Power of Forgiveness is life changing and the first step toward healing. Sandra’s gives all glory to God for He is truly the inspiration behind this book. Without Him, she’s nothing. Sandra Heard is married to her best friend James and is a mother of three and has three grandchildren. She is a Licensed Minister at the Forgiving Church in Northeast Ohio, where she serves in many capacities. She is a humble servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! She is passionate about sharing the Gospel and the good news that Jesus Christ lives; she desires to bring healing to the wounded souls and broken hearted. Professionally, Sandra is a career Internal Auditor with over 25 years of experience. She is also a Visiting Professor and part-time Instructor at two universities, where she primarily teaches undergraduate accounting and business courses. She loves to empower her students in all walks of life and serves as a Mentor to some. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from DeVry University Keller Graduate School of Management (Independence Ohio) and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Cleveland State University (Cleveland, Ohio). She is a Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA) and holds professional memberships with the Institute of Internal Auditors, The Institute for Internal Controls, and American Association of Christian Counseling. For Other resources, and for dates of seminars, workshops, and writer’s conferences by Sandra Heard visit: www.sandraheard.com For other information Call (866) SPK-L1FE (866-775-5133) Or write to: Sandra Heard Resources PO Box 74 Twinsburg, OH 44087 Email address: [e-mail]

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ENDORSEMENTS

"With a skillful pen and engaging candor, Sandra paints a picture of how forgiveness can open up a world of freedom that’s refreshing and exciting. I loved the down-to-earth realism. She delivers a knock-out tale of unforgiveness and its web of deceit. Her personal journey of suffering, hurt, and getting to the heart of the matter is compelling in terms of letting go and letting God. Invite a friend to join you in discussing the challenges presented in this book--lives will be changed; healing and deliverance will begin."

Darlene Wade, LISW-S --Blog

Life According to Women

The Power of Forgiveness will bring you face to face with reality. It will challenge you to be candidly honest and propel you forward on your journey towards healing. You will be able to identify with the side effects of unforgiveness. This book is a must read!!

Cassandra Wilson-Bullock - Author of Dead Christians Walking.

This book is not only powerful but is truly transformational. It reveals that healing in relationships start with each of us allowing God to do some work within each of our own hearts. I appreciate the transparency, honesty and courage that it took to share this testimony of hurt, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. This God inspired book is going to help so many people.

Reverend Selena M. Moore

"Sandra Heard and I became friends 18 years ago. We met at our then Pastor’s backyard picnic. We were both business women with similar interests and became friends soon after. Sandra is beautiful inside and out. I have seen her laugh and cry. I have seen her fight through the trials of life and blossom into the person she is now. God has truly graced her.

Sandra mounted up above the storms of life through God’s love, grace and mercy. She is an inspiration. She easily forgives and continues to demonstrate her love for people, not only in words, but also in deeds. She now shares her journey to empower others to BE overcomers and the POWER of forgiving those who have done us harm.

This book will inspire YOU, this book will encourage YOU, this book will challenge where YOU are in Christ and your daily walk. This book will have YOU laughing and crying all at the same time. This book is not only for those who have a relationship with Christ; it is for all of us. YOU will find yourself identifying with what is being said, but YOU will have hope and YOU will be encouraged to move forward in any relationship that you may have thought should be different and or have a particular expected outcome. YOU will be changed.

I count it an honor and a privilege to write this endorsement and I highly recommend her book. Please encourage someone with a copy of it and stay tuned for the next one."

Peace and Blessings,

Cherry C. Dunn (Combs)

President/CEO

3C Administrations and Governments

Putting it ALL together for you

Shaker Heights, Ohio

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my Heavenly Father. Lord, I give you all glory, honor, and praise! I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul. Thank you for this God inspired book you birthed forth from me during a very painful period of my life. I’m so grateful and humbled you chose me for this assignment. I am nothing without you. It is through you I have my freedom, joy, and peace. You are my rock and my salvation! I trust you and thank you for ordering my steps and seeing your work to completion. Through you all things are possible!

To my amazing husband James (A.K.A - Bobby II), words cannot express my love and appreciation for you. I’m so grateful to have you in my life as my leader, spiritual covering, confidante, prayer partner, and best friend. I Thank God for bringing you in my life and choosing you to help me become the woman He created me to be. Thank you for your love, continuous support, and for believing in this God inspired vision including the time and space to complete it. More importantly, thank you for your permission to share our story to empower and give hope to others. Thank you for the joy, laughter, and for taking this journey with me over the past eighteen years. Finally, thank you for being a great husband, father, grandfather and for releasing me to spread my wings and fly! My life would not be the same without you. I am so honored to be your wife.

To my children Shanise, Jamari, and Autumn and my grandchildren Christian, Elliot James (EJ), and Amari – I love you all very much! To my beautiful daughter Shanise – You are my gift from God, the one He chose for me to bring forth into this world. You have been my bundle of joy since the moment I laid eyes on you and held you in my arms. Having you young was truly a journey that I’m humbling grateful for. You changed my life for the better and God used you to give me a fighting spirit and a drive to better myself because I had you to take care of. I love our bond and relationship. The warmth of your love is felt through every handwritten word you use in my Mother’s Day and birthday cards that always brings me to tears. You are truly gifted! I’m so proud of the woman you are and still becoming. You have such a sweet, caring, and loving spirit that light up the room the moment you walk into it. I love you more than words can express. You taught me how to give and show love. I’m honored to be your mother.

To my one and only son Jamari – You were the answer to my prayer and my gift from God. I always wanted to know what it was like to raise a son and God gave me you! I love you more than you may ever realize. The Lord also used you to help me pray and fight for our family to stay together. I’ve loved you from the moment God brought you into my life. You give me joy and it’s such a delight to see how you are raising our grandson. I enjoy our time spent together and I love our special bond and relationship. You are truly gifted, a visionary and strong leader. Your love is also felt and expressed through every handwritten word received in my cards that pierce my heart. I’m so proud of the man you are and still becoming. I’m grateful for our journey and to God for bringing you into my life. I’m honored to be your mother.

To my beautiful baby daughter Autumn - I love you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll never forget the day we met. I was so nervous because I knew you were the one to approve of my relationship with your Dad. Thank you for trusting his heart to me. You are also my gift from God. I love our unique bond and times spent together. You are highly gifted, creative and beautiful from the inside and out. I’m also proud of the young lady you are and the woman you are still becoming. You are a great mom and I love spending time with our grandchildren. I’m grateful that God brought you into my life and honored to be one of your mothers. All of you are our legacy! Thanks for your continued love and support. I pray that each of you blossom into the men and women God has destined you to become.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my mother Norma, I love you very much! You are the best mother and friend a daughter could ever have. Thank you for raising me to believe in Jesus Christ and for leading by example. I thank God for using you to train and push me in ways that helped prepared me for purpose. Thank you for believing in me and for your unconditional love, support, and friendship. You are an amazing woman of God and you inspire me! To my beautiful mother-in-law Nita, I am truly blessed to have a mother-in-law like you. You are a gift from God and I love you dearly. Thank you for your continued love, support and all you do and have done for our family. You are also an amazing woman of God. I love our special mother in-law and daughter in-law relationship. I’m honored to call you ‘Ma.’ To my father in-law James Senior and second mother in-law Joyce, I am so blessed to have such great in-laws. Words cannot express my appreciation for both of you. I’m grateful that I have a great father in-law that I’m honored to call Dad and a second mother in-law that I’m also honored to call ‘Ma.’ All three of you treat me as if I were your own daughter and I feel so blessed to have all of you in my life. Thanks for your continued love and support for our family. You all are really special!

To my siblings Michael, Lenell, Stephanie, Scottie and my in-laws Saunja and Thomas (KaNisha) – I love you all very much. Thanks for your prayers, love, and support. To my sister in-law Saunja, I would be remiss if I didn’t give you a special shout out! Words cannot begin to express my greatest appreciation and love for how you allowed God to use your wedding day to help Bobby and I have a fresh start! I’m forever grateful for your generosity. To my aunt Beverly and my cousin Celeste who I refer to as my cousin, sister and friend, I love you both dearly and I thank God for the two of you being there for me whenever I needed you. Last, but not least to my cousin-in-law who is more like a blood cousin and sister, Author of Dead Christians Walking, Cassandra Wilson-Bullock. You have been instrumental in my life. Thank you for being one of my prayer warriors and close friends.

A special thanks to my Pastor Nathaniel Simpson and First Lady Dr. Sherdene Simpson of The Forgiving Church. I love you both more than words can express. I thank God for using both of you at a very crucial time in our marriage. Pastor Nate, thank you for allowing your wife to journey with me through my healing and deliverance process. To my dearest friend and mentor Lady Sherdene, words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices you’ve made to help me reach my God given purpose. I thank Him for putting you in my life all those years ago. You are truly a gift from the Lord. I value and appreciate our 30 plus year friendship, your time and generosity. I am so grateful the Lord chose you to mentor, train, and teach me how to care for people God’s way through spiritual guidance advising, small group facilitating, and through prepare/enrich relationship coaching. Finally, I can’t thank you enough for writing such a powerful and heartfelt Foreword. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart and for being a major part of the journey! I pray that God would open the floodgates of heaven and pour you out a blessing you won’t have room enough to receive!

To my friends and prayer warriors A.K.A. the Three Cord Strand Cherry and Cynthia, life would not be the same without both of you in it. Cynthia I thank God for using you to give me hope at times when I was ready to walk away from it all and for being that heart with ears when I needed a shoulder to cry on. Cherry, I thank God for bringing you into my life. More importantly, I’m grateful that He chose you to help pull out spiritual gifts inside me I didn’t know I had and for helping me stay focused, holding me accountable, and helping me complete this God assignment! You are highly gifted, anointed, and a true gift from God! I love you both dearly.

To my friend Seanine, I thank God for bringing you in my life and for our 30 plus year friendship. Thanks for being that voice of reason at times when I needed it. To my friend Bonita, thank you for prophetic poem and wedding gift Divine Romance that still speaking volumes to this day. To my friends Angie (aka Sissy), Antoinette and Nina, I thank you all for being a part of the journey as well as your continued love and support. To the rest of my family, godchildren, friends, and church family who are too many to name, thank you all for your love, support and prayers.

A special thanks to these amazing women of God, Pastor Darlene Wade, Cassandra Wilson-Bullock, Reverend Selena M. Moore and Cherry C. Dunn (Combs) for your heartfelt and inspiring endorsements. Also, a special thanks to my Editors Ivy McQuain, BLI Publishing, Professor John Kavouras, DeVry University and Professor LaToya Littles, Kent State University. Finally, a special thanks to my award-winning Graphic Designer Timothy Mathews (Book Covers), Photographer Sherlyn M. Bell interior photo (Author Bio) and my husband Videographer/Photographer James R. Heard II exterior photo (Front Cover).

CONTENTS

Foreword

Shattered and Broken

Part One

Understanding Forgiveness

Chapter 1 What Is Forgiveness?

Chapter 2 Side Effects of Unforgiveness

Chapter 3 The Blame Game

Chapter 4 Power of Forgiveness

Part Two

The Journey

Chapter 5 How It All Began

Chapter 6 The Vows

Chapter 7 Exposure

Part Three

Healing And Restoration

Chapter 8 Steps Toward Healing

Chapter 9 Standing on the Promises of God

Chapter 10 Should I Stay or Leave?

Chapter 11 Close the Doors

Chapter 12 Take Your Power Back

Chapter 13 Restoration

Chapter 14 Divine Encounter

Chapter 15 Marriage

Chapter 16 I