Ever since she can remember, Kathie Lee Gifford has lived a faith-driven life. From childhood to adulthood — and all the moments in between — the seasoned TV host and author has always leaned on her Christian roots, despite labeling herself as “anti-religion.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Gifford — who is gearing up to emcee Childhelp’s Drive The Dream gala in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday — opened up about trusting God in moments of discomfort and doubt, the importance of generosity when it comes to charitable efforts, and explained why she believes religion can often put “people in chains.”
“The Bible talks about prayer without ceasing. Our life should be nonstop prayer, nonstop conversation, dialog, and walk with our Lord,” said Gifford, 72. “It’s not a religion. I am very anti-religion. Religion puts people in chains and Jesus takes them away. So I’ve always tried to be, and I am, the exact same person.”
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“I don’t separate the secular from the spiritual. I don’t say, ‘Oh, I’m an actress. So that’s my secular life.’ And then I go, and I raise money for Childhelp. No, it’s all one life, lived in accordance with God’s blessing, with His, I don’t like to call them commandments, His teaching, His guidance. We live according to that,” she added.
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“We have a blessed life, a blessed life. And so I don’t, I know I’m different,” she added. “I’m very different from other people. I’ve never given, I’ve ever stood up in front of a group of people ever in my life with a script. I can’t even imagine, I would feel so phony, because I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I know what I want to say. And the Holy Spirit knows what He wants me to say so between us, we all sort of get it. We get along.”
Gifford, who has dealt with her fair share of grief and heartbreak, said she has always looked to Scripture as a guiding light.
“Scripture says don’t, don’t worry about anything. Don’t worry about anything. I am with you. I will lead you. I will guide you every day of your life,” she said. “In Him we live and move and have our very being. That means every nanosecond of our lives is in service to our Lord. So I lose sleep because I’m old. Not because I’m worrying about getting something wrong. I pray before I open my mouth, and then I ask the Lord to guide me.”
“People go, I can’t believe how bold you are for your faith,” she added. “I don’t care what people think. I care what He thinks. And a few hands, like maybe two hands full of precious friends who love me. I care what they think.”
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For much of her 60-year-long career, the mom of two has spent countless hours dedicated to giving back. One cause that is particularly close to her heart is Childhelp — an organization that was created to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children.
“I’ve always been an advocate for children long before I joined Childhelp,” said Gifford, who began her advocacy with the organization in 1996. “That’s just been a lifelong thing for me. God loves all the little children. And we’re all made in the image of God, no matter what color we are, no matter where we come from. It’s, that’s all, I’ve always known that. And Jesus who said, you know, let the little children come unto me, don’t stop them. They are the kingdom of heaven. So all my life, that has been a driving force.”
“I pray every day, Lord, give me a generous heart. You know, the more I give away, the more He gives me,” she added. “It’s always been about that. It’s crazy. It works. It’s scriptural. It’s a scriptural concept. You can never out give God. And if you love children, and you care for children, blessing will follow you all the days of your life.”
Despite her efforts in trying to remain stoic and steadfast in faith, Gifford said she’s only human and can crumble in anger over certain things.
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“I get angry when people hurt children. I get actually furious when people hurt children,” she said. “Child abuse robs a child of their whole life. It’s not just their childhood that they destroy. Children who don’t get what they need when they’re growing up, the love they need, they don’t get the support … they spend the rest of their life trying to find it. And they make really, really bad decisions because of it. And they get deeper and deeper into holes and depression and addictions, and it often ends up with no happy ending for these children.”
“But with Childhelp, there is a possibility. Very often, the ending is, a blessed one, that children have found forgiveness, they’ve found faith, they have found purpose, they have people who care about them. And I want to be a part of people like that.”
