Written by: Dr. Pearl Kupe
I recently returned from a week of ministry in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is Spanish for “the angels” and is frequently referred to as the “City of Angels”. Before going there I prayed and asked God to use me for His divine purposes, and also prayed that I might have a special encounter whilst there. That encounter came on Monday, 9 March, the day before my departure back to South Africa, when I had the great privilege of visiting renowned evangelist Amy Semple McPherson’s house. We also went to house number 214 North Bonnie Brae Street, one of the key sites associated with the beginnings of the Azusa Street Revival. This was the previous home of Richard and Ruth Asberry, where the first “outpouring” occurred after a 10-day fast. The revival meetings later moved to house 312 Azusa Street.
A dedicated time of worship and prayer
Upon entering the house, my ministry hosts, mentees, and I were all treated to a private tour of the “Azusa” house and given a history of what took place there. As soon as the tour ended, we all broke into an unplanned, spontaneous, and Spirit-led time of worship and prayer for several moments. This ended with a time of breaking bread and taking communion together.
The coming revival
I returned home to South Africa filled with fire and even more determined than ever to pray for the coming time of revival; the revival that’s been consistently prophesied over South Africa and Africa in general, which will spill over to other nations and have a global impact. One of the key lessons we must learn about revival is that it is determined by God Himself. The timing and the method in which it comes are all determined by God. Revival can never be manipulated or manufactured by man. Whilst there is a definite part that man plays in terms of repentance and prayer, we cannot determine the “how” and the “when” of how revival comes. Revival begins to take place when we appreciate the divine sovereignty of God and surrender all to Him, instead of relying on our human mechanisms.
Revival begins with repentance
2 Chronicles 7:14 sets out some key guiding principles for us to follow in trusting God for revival. It says: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr 7:14). Revival starts with a deep conviction of sin, brokenness, and a collective turning away from evil, with a genuine pursuit of God and holiness.
A call to holiness in the Church
Revival is also triggered by repentance within the Church and Body of Christ that provokes a desire and pursuit of righteousness and holiness. It’s provoked by a remnant who fervently pursue unity and God’s presence and do not cease to pray for the community, nation, and nations.
Hunger for the true Word
Beginnings of revival can often be evidenced by people’s hunger and desire for the uncompromised and undiluted Word of God. These are not motivational-seeking “itchy-eared” people who seek materialism and external happiness, but those who hunger after the true Word of God. God looks to hearts, not titles or positions, when He looks for vessels He can use to provoke revival. Many people who were used in previous revivals were not high-ranking or well-known people, but ordinary vessels who were sold out to the cause of the Kingdom of God.
Effective and fervent prayer
It was heartwarming for me to be part of a gathering of more than 50 prayer networks in February in Pretoria. The meeting was called by Intercessors for South Africa (IFSA) and South Africa Prayer Movement (SAPM). I was invited to the gathering as a representative of A Million Women Movement (AMW), led by prophet Lou Engle from the USA. This gathering confirmed to me that a key part of revival involves united, effective, and consistent prayer.
Unity prepares the way
Unity is key in provoking revival, even if it is only amongst a remnant grouping. It was the gathering together of a group of 120 in Acts 2:1-4 that ushered in a Holy Spirit fire Pentecost. As we focus on being unified as the Body of Yeshua, we will see transformational revival continue to tear down walls of division and flow out of buildings and into the marketplace to transform all societal sectors.
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
> Please support Christian media and journalism in South Africa. Help us to spread the Word of God and take a stand for the truth by making a donation to our ministry. We appreciate your support. Click here to take hands with JOY! Magazine.
Date published: 16/04/2026
Feature images sourced from original article
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
