Young and on Fire: Being Set Ablaze and Discipleship

Introduction

For the first episode of Matin'elles at ICC TV Montreal's Women's Camp 2026, Josépha welcomes three young women who share the same passion for Christ: Mia (18, Néos staff), Graciella (22, communications department), and Jennifer (27, banking sector). The theme won't let them go: being young and on fire. Not a Sunday fire, not a flare of emotion, but a blaze that lasts and translates into discipleship.

Two texts carry the episode. Luke 9:23: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." And Psalm 39:3: "My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue." From there, the guests share how this fire was lit, how it holds, and how it is passed on. This article gathers their testimonies and turns them into concrete keys for you as you read.

Episode outline

1. The spark: seeing other young people burn

Mia tells her story: at school she called herself a Christian, she posted verses on TikTok, but she scrolled through Sunday's sermon on her phone. The spark came when she joined the Néos staff, the youth ministry of ICC Montreal. She saw young people on fire and thought: "If they're on fire, I want that fire too." She then made her will known to God: "Lord, I too am going to be young and on fire for you." The rest, she adds, he did himself.

The lesson is clear. You don't set yourself on fire. You expose yourself. You surround yourself with people who are burning, you make your will known to God, and he answers.

2. Identity: knowing who you are in Christ

How did Mia hold on through high school without giving in to peer pressure? Through knowing her identity. She cites 1 Peter 2:9: "You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation." God chose her. So she decided that it would no longer be her who follows, it would be her who is followed. Her friend group was not Christian, but Christ's values were present in the group because she walked in her identity.

What people say about you does not get the final word. What Christ says about you does. Walk in that truth.

3. Your field, your mission territory

Graciella always loved communications. When she accepted the Lord, he gave her Matthew 28:19: "Go and make disciples of all nations." Her department was social media. She considered every follower a soul. Sent to ICC Montreal's communications department, she received the mission of reaching a million likes on TikTok. Goal achieved. More importantly, several people now testify: "I came to ICC because I saw this or that video."

One example: in 2023, at Semaine Royale in Paris, Graciella compiled clips from the pastors and posted the video before going to sleep. Three years later, the video has passed 3 million views. Souls are being touched. The lesson: your field (banking, school, communications, cooking) is your mission territory. A young person on fire isn't stirred up outside, it starts in the house of God and then pours out into their field.

4. Serving: the greatest is the servant

Jennifer works in banking. She cites Matthew 23:11: "The greatest among you shall be your servant." This word has carried her for years. She recounts a coworker whose daughter, an asylum seeker, was looking for funding for her studies. Nothing was moving. Jennifer offered to pray with her in her office. Three days later, the young woman received a full scholarship. Two weeks after that, the mother learned she would obtain residency.

Serving isn't only at church. It's a heart that prays for a colleague, that stays connected to Christ so that Christ can be made visible in the office, the classroom, the supermarket.

5. Watching models: the logic of the 21 days

At Prodige Conference, the 21 days challenge was launched: 21 days to resemble those you contemplate, tied to 2 Corinthians 3:18. Graciella lists her models: Pastor Renata, Pastor Samuel, Apostle Yvan Castanou. She says she made "a list for God": "From him I'll take this, from her I'll take that." Jennifer adds: God places shepherds above us so we can receive something from them, just as Elisha received the double portion of Elijah because he watched Elijah, who watched Christ.

Look first at the shepherd God has placed before you. Grace descends step by step.

6. The concrete habits of a young person on fire

Concretely, what does a day look like? The guests share their routines:

• Consecrate the morning. Jennifer uses her commute to connect to the first morning service or to Morning on Fire. She never leaves God's presence the way she entered it.
• Saturate your day. Mia listens to Apostle Yvan Castanou's sermons while doing homework. She goes through Saturday service, Sunday service, and youth service back to back. She refuses to be disconnected: "What you feed on is what comes out of you."
• Build a playlist. Josépha shares her playlist "Becoming Pastor Yao," where she has collected videos since 2015 in order to resemble this spiritual father.
• Wean off TikTok. The time you spend on TikTok, put it on teachings instead. Even uninstall the app for a week if you have to.
• Don't get discouraged. Graciella clarifies: if you can only listen to one or two sermons, that's already very good. Eat at your own pace, don't choke yourself.

7. Going out into the field: obedience in small things

Josépha confesses: she serves at church, but she used to dodge evangelism. Yet being on fire also means obeying when the Lord sends you out into the field. She recalls Luke 16:10: whoever is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.

Mia tells the story of the bacon. At the outreach families' gathering, she prepares chicken and bacon pasta. The Holy Spirit whispers to her that someone who doesn't eat pork will be coming. She ignores it, cuts the bacon, adds it. At mealtime, a young woman arrives and asks if there's pork in the pasta. She didn't eat. Mia saw the cost of disobedience. One small ignored instruction can cost someone else something. Since then, she repents and obeys.

As Reverend Benéal reminds us at Prodige Conference: "You see the cost of disobedience just by obeying." God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies those he calls. You make yourself available, he fills you.

8. Come as you are: you are not your mistakes

The last part of the episode speaks to the one listening who is hesitating. Josépha insists: "You are not your mistakes." The Lord has brought you into his house, he wants to use you. He even adds graces to the ones you already had.

Jennifer adds: no one is perfect, it's God who is perfect. He is good enough to come find you at your lowest. David failed and God kept using him. The Lord's mercy comes looking for you. Open yourself to the love he offers you through the church, the shepherds, the spiritual family. A coal that isn't in the fire doesn't burn. Decide to put yourself in the fire.

Mia closes with John 15:5: "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." God needs you, whatever your age, whatever your flaws. He wants you to consecrate yourself and give yourself entirely.

Key takeaways

• Fire is contagious. Surround yourself with young people on fire and make known to God your will to burn for him.
• Your identity in Christ protects you from social pressure. What Christ says about you (1 Peter 2:9) outweighs what people say.
• Your field is your mission. Social media, banking, school: every context can carry souls to Christ.
• The fire lasts when you become a servant and when you watch models who are watching Christ.
• Obedience in small things is the real gauge of a fire that lasts over time.

Personal application

1. Who are the young people on fire around you, and how can you draw closer to them this week?
2. Where exactly is your identity in Christ being challenged right now, and what word will you declare in order to hold on?
3. What is your concrete mission field (school, work, social media), and one action you can take starting tomorrow to make Christ visible there?
4. Who is the shepherd God has placed before you that you can honor more intentionally?
5. What small instruction from the Holy Spirit have you dodged recently, and which one can you obey today?

Verses cited

• Luke 9:23 · Deny yourself, take up your cross daily.
• Psalm 39:3 · The inner fire that burns and produces speech.
• 1 Peter 2:9 · A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.
• Matthew 28:19 · Make disciples of all nations.
• Matthew 23:11 · The greatest among you shall be your servant.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 · Beholding the glory of the Lord with unveiled face.
• Luke 16:10 · Faithful in little, faithful in much.
• Romans 8:19 · Creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 · In Christ, a new creation.
• John 15:5 · Apart from me you can do nothing.

FAQ

What does "being young and on fire" mean according to the episode?

It means being a young disciple who takes their relationship with God seriously, who lets the Holy Spirit burn in their heart (Psalm 39:3), and who turns that fire into daily obedience, service, and mission in their own field.

How do you keep your fire when you're surrounded by non-Christian friends?

By knowing your identity in Christ (1 Peter 2:9). Mia testifies: it's no longer you following, it's you influencing. Her non-Christian friend group ended up carrying Christ's values because she walked in her identity.

Concretely, where do I start if I want to become a young person on fire?

Start small: consecrate your morning, listen to one or two sermons a week, choose a spiritual model (the 21-day challenge), obey one small instruction from the Holy Spirit, and draw closer to your local shepherd. Don't get discouraged if you can't do it all at once. Be faithful in little things (Luke 16:10), and God expands your capacity.