Media personality Kathie Lee Gifford opened up about the spiritual moments that have marked her faith journey, including a meeting with Jesus when she was a child and encounters with what she believed to be demonic manifestations.
The 72-year-old singer, songwriter, actress and author shared her experiences with the spiritual realm during an appearance on the “Blurry Creatures Podcast” to promote her book, Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome (Ancient Evil, Living Hope).
Gifford, who came to faith in Jesus through the late Rev. Billy Graham, said that she first encountered Jesus in a dream when she was 6 years old.
“I was raking leaves with my daddy, and I looked up, and there was Jesus sitting on a cloud,” she said. “He had His legs folded and … [He’s] making a fire with wood. … And I looked up, and I said … ‘Oh, it’s Jesus,’ and He looks down at me. He goes, ‘Kathie.’ Smiled at me.”
The former “Today” show co-host accepted Jesus Christ around the age of 13 after watching Graham’s evangelistic film “The Restless Ones.”
“Now, if you watch it today, you say, ‘That’s the worst movie I have ever seen in my life.’ Right? But it was about this young girl who, just like me, was on the cusp of womanhood,” Gifford said. “And was she going to go the world’s way or was she going to go God’s way?”
During the concluding altar call inviting audience members to accept Christ, Gifford said that Jesus personally reached out to her, prompting her to dedicate her life to him.
“Kathie, I love you, and if you’ll trust me, I want to make something beautiful out of your life,” she remembered hearing at the time.
The author also shared some of her darker encounters with the spiritual realm.
When she was a teenager vacationing in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the media personality said that a group of surfers offered her and her friends marijuana.
After Gifford declined the offer and invoked the name of Jesus, the group suddenly became hostile. Gifford described how their appearance seemed to change after she mentioned Jesus’ name. She said she and her friends left, with the group following them for several blocks before they disappeared.
One demonic encounter she said happened during a trip to Israel and the Middle East when she was 17. While visiting Bethlehem, Gifford said that she entered a church with her mother where other people were lighting candles.
During the visit, Gifford said that she and her mother encountered a cloaked monk who growled at them, explaining that she and her mother had left their purses on the tour bus, so they could not leave a monetary offering.
“All of a sudden the cloak comes back, and the teeth got orange, the eyes blood red,” Gifford said. “You know it when you see it. It’s not subtle.”
Although Gifford has “sensed a whole lot of demonic oppression” in her life, she said it usually “didn’t manifest like that.”
Regarding the impact that those experiences have had on her understanding of the supernatural, Gifford said those experiences “confirmed everything Jesus ever said.”
Despite her intense experiences, Gifford said that she has also witnessed signs of God’s miraculous power. After suffering a fractured pelvis, Gifford believes she experienced divine healing.
“God is still in the miracle business,” Gifford said. “He’s just waiting for us to ask.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
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