Refiners Fire

Music is my passion in life and being a singer and songwriter provides a wonderful therapeutic outlet for me to explore and express my deepest feelings. I believe that maintaining the highest professional standard is a top priority in this business.

My Lord Jesus has placed a call upon my life to minister to others through music. Often music is able to reach into the deepest recesses of a person’s heart and mind and touch their soul. What a blessing it is for me to preach God’s Word through song, and I realize the immense privilege of serving Him in this way. We each have a responsibility to exercise the gifts we receive from God and my desire is to serve Him faithfully by learning from other more talented artists and being inspired by the Holy Spirit. I want to “let (my) life so shine before men, that they may see (my) good works and glorify our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

In addition to singing about the love of Jesus, I love singing, writing and listening to various types of music such as country, rock & roll and jazz. Many of the songs I write and sing have been influenced by these types of music.

“Not in this life” was inspired by someone special whom I met and fell in love with but unfortunately the relationship did not work out. It was a difficult time in my life, but the Lord encouraged me and carried me through.

Refiners Fire” (Release date June 2010) is the title song of my album and describes the process of God’s purification in our lives. After we have been born again, “we are new creatures in Christ; old things have passed away and we have become new.”
(From 2 Corinthians 5:17).

The process of being purified and sanctified in the “Refiner’s Fire” is likened by the Lord to the refining of silver which is done by a silversmith. He holds a piece of silver over the fire while it heats up. He holds the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The silversmith must focus on holding and watching the silver. If the silver is left a moment too long in the flames, it could be destroyed. The silversmith knows just how long to expose the silver to the heat. When the silver is fully refined, his image is reflected. God promises that when I confess my sins He will cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He will thoroughly purge away my dross (dregs, debris, trash) and remove all my impurities. God says that the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. (From 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 1:25 and Psalm 12:6).

I love God’s promise in Zechariah 13:9: “I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God”.
Our goal should be to persevere in our walk with the Lord even when we make mistakes: “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:35).
I encourage each of my fans as follows: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1). “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

May our Lord Jesus Christ refine and purify you as you continue in your journey with Him towards holiness!

Blessings to you all,
Marisa.

“Armor of God” is another song close to my heart. There is so much violence and evil in our world today, especially the devastation caused by the war in the Middle East. We are also fighting a spiritual battle and the Lord instructs us to put on our armor. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”. (Ephesians 6: