Actress Kathie Lee Gifford feels that many Christians in Western culture have a poor understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Following up on her response to Christians who reject or neglect biblical "gifts of the Spirit," the iconic talk show star told "Life Today" presenter Sheila Walsh that far too many Westerners are "terrified" of these abilities because they are unnecessarily "terrified of them."
On the episode, Gifford discussed her newest book, "The Jesus I Know: Honest Conversations and Diverse Opinions about Who He Is."
She pointed out that there is a great deal of misunderstanding concerning the gifts of the Spirit, and that there shouldn't be as much "mystery surrounding" the biblical notion as there currently is.
"There's so much misunderstanding about the gifts of the Spirit," Faithwire quoted Gifford as saying from the interview.
"There's so much mystery surrounding it and there shouldn't be. Because once you understand - once you meet the people that have these gifts, and you see the way that they use them for the Kingdom of God, any bias you have about it is dispelled because you see what's done in the name of the Lord Jesus."
"You cannot say, 'This is not God.' This is redemption, this is healing ... and nobody's getting the credit for it but Almighty God," she added.
Furthermore, she said that the majority of these doubters are from Western countries.
"I think for way too long, that we as Westerners have been way too terrified of the gifts of the Spirit when actually, when you read about them, when Paul talks about them, we're all supposed to have gifts of the Spirit," she went on to say. "They're supposed to be different, used like different parts of the body for one good work, but we're all supposed to use them. And people go, 'Oh, Jesus doesn't do that anymore, God doesn't do that anymore.' Really?"
She did, however, point out that individuals who have come into contact with persons who practice spiritual gifts would not be as doubtful as the general public.
"Once you understand - you meet the people that have these gifts, and you see the way that they use them for the Kingdom of God, any bias you have about it is dispelled," she said. "Because you see what's done in the name of the Lord Jesus."
She emphasized that receiving the Holy Spirit has always included the manifestation of spiritual gifts as part of the package. What humans have done, on the other hand, is compartmentalize the work and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
"Jesus said, 'Greater things than this, you will do in my name when the Holy Spirit comes, but I have to go so you can do them.' He didn't put a time frame on that. We do!" Gifford declared.
"We're the ones that box God in, that relegate Him to three dimensions, that stick him on a shelf and say, 'Well, that's what God does.' Let's open our eyes and our ears and our hearts and our souls to the great works the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of brothers and sisters all over the world."
It is common for the multi-talented and multi-talented novelist, director, actor, dramatist, and singer to utilize her platform to speak about Jesus. In her latest book, she invites others to do the same.
According to the Christian Post, her new book has 25 dialogues about Jesus with well-known personalities, including journalist Megyn Kelly, actress Kristin Chenoweth, and musician Brian Welch.
A couple movies and a new book have followed Gifford's departure from "Today" in 2019, and she says, "I'm not retiring; I'm refiring!"
She previously revealed in an interview with The Christian Post why she is so free-spirited and unwilling to be bound by religious dogma.
Since God's laws are designed for her good, she tries to obey them. Man's laws, on the other hand, are often designed to subjugate rather than to protect or bless those they govern.
As a result, she remarked, "I break rules." "Why? Because I just answer the call of God in my life."
