We waited for seven good years for this to happen, for John Obi Mikel to score his first ever Premiership goal.  And when he did score, it was in style.  It was a special magic moment for all Nigerians and Chelsea fans as Mikel connected a corner kick, leaping acrobatically to execute a scissors’ kick that sent the ball into the net.  It was the kind of beautiful goal that the mighty Pele would have applauded.

Everybody applauded the goal.  I had never seen the billionaire owner of Chelsea Abramovich, celebrate a goal with so many megawatts of smiles lighting up his usually dour face.  We would come back to all that.

Beloved members of Press Clips Pentecostal Church (PCPC), join me as we celebrate this goal, as we dedicate this goal, as we pray to God to open the way for more goals to come from the boots of our very own Mikel.  The young man from whom much was expected but was tied by witches and evil forces beyond his control, making it impossible for him to score goals.

Today, whatever forces of negativity tying up your destiny, I lose them now!  Today, I set you free in Jesus’ name to score your goals.  Today, I unbind you from your chains, from the obstacles that make it difficult for you to score or achieve anything meaningful in life.  No man was born to underachieve.  Everyman was born to be an achiever or a scorer of goals.  You will score today, as you read this piece.  You will score in the air.  You will score on the field.  You will score impossible goals that will break the yoke.  Today, I anoint your feet and your head to score your goals.

Let’s me start today’s message by saying that scoring goals is life’s ultimate goal.  We are made to score goals by the Creator who is a goal scorer Himself, who is an achiever, who is the bringer of light amid darkness.  In the beginning, the Scriptures say, there was gloom and doom.  The earth was without form and void.  And darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of the Almighty  was hovering over the field, looking for a goal to score.  Then God saw an opportunity.  And with just one spoken word, He scored against the forces of darkness.  God said, “Let there be light.”  And there was light.  Let there be a goal.  And there was a goal.

Beloved, nothing lightens up life like a goal scored.  On the day God scored His first goal, there was jubilation, there was celebration in heaven.  The angels went to the edge of the field to dance “makossa” the way Roger Milla of Cameroon danced when he scored in the World Cup.  If you have not scored a goal in life, you will score today in Jesus’ name.  You will score against poverty.  You will score against depression.  You will score against sickness.  You will score against accidents.  You will score against plane crash.  You will score against all kinds of problems.  Your enemies will not score against you.  The great referee in the sky will not show you red card before your time.  No matter how many times He shows you yellow card, He would forgive you, for He is an all-forgiving referee.

There is nothing like scoring a goal.  Nothing cheers the soul like a goal scored in a highly competitive game of life.  A goal scored elicits moments of madness.  Cast your mind back to the moment Rashidi Yekini scored Nigeria’s first ever World Cup goal.  Remember how he simply went mad with joy such that he entered the net and pictures of him dramatically celebrating his goal and talking to himself made global headlines.  I wonder what Yekini was saying at the rapturous moment.  Perhaps he was celebrating God for giving him victory.  It’s so sad the way Yekini ended.  This man blessed with so much talent to score but ended up being scored against by the forces of evil.  Yekini’s fate will never be your fate.  You will never rise to the top only to fall into the pit that Yekini fell.  It will never be your portion.

After scoring against the familiar foe, Manchester United in a 4-1 trouncing, I saw the goal scorer from Manchester City racing to the corner flag and punching it like a boxer.  Such is the madness and euphoria that greet a goal put into the net of an enemy.  The guy was simply mad with joy.  Your goals will make you mad with joy, but not the madness that turned Yekini into a pitiable sight.

Brethren, a life without a goal is meaningless.  Which is to say that in life we set goals, pursue goals, work for goals and when we are lucky, we score goals.

Our brother, Mikel hadn’t been so lucky.  Here was a footballer who was rated second after Lionel Messi during a Junior World Cup competition.  On that score, Mikel was the toast of many clubs.  Everyone wanted him.  Between Man U and Chelsea, it was one tug of war.  At one point, he was on the side of Man U.  He was even seen wearing Man U shirt.  Then Chelsea fought back and took him.

Rather than become an attacking midfielder, Jose Mourinho, the Special One turned him into a defensive midfielder, moulding him after Makelele, the legendary Chelsea midfield defender.  That was where Mikel’s goal drought started.  For seven years, there was goal drought in the life of the boy.  It was as if he was under a curse.  All efforts to score goals amounted to nothing.  May God deliver us from the curse of the enemy tying our destiny.

It wasn’t as if Mikel isn’t good.  In fact, so good is he that he constituted Chelsea’s engine room.  He was the carburetor of the Chelsea bus.  Remove him and there would be a vacuum, a black hole that would make Chelsea vulnerable.

He wasn’t scoring, but Mikel did not give up.  The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9 that we should not be tired of working hard and doing good, because in due season we shall reap, we shall score.  Mikel is one hardworking player in Chelsea who is never weary.  The goals didn’t come for years but he didn’t give up.  He didn’t lose faith in His God.  He kept waiting on the Lord and praying.  And in the end, the goal came.  The Bible is full stories of people who did not give up, in spite of the challenges they had to face.  You know the stories of women who got pregnant in their old age, giving birth to Samuel and John, the Baptist.

Mourinho was impressed by Mikel’s first Premiership goal.  He said: “The goal is good for him, good for us.  I think it is good for his confidence.  And I think people enjoyed seeing John (Obi Mikel) score a goal.  The goal was a shot in a set-piece, in a corner, a rebound.  The finishing was good and he was in the position.  But the important thing for me is he played a good game, he gave balance and stability.  He kept very good control of the game, so I am happy with the way John is playing.”

Beloved, your Father in heaven will celebrate you as you score. He will say positive things about you.  You will not be a failure in this life.  You will score and score and score.  My prayer is that President Goodluck Jonathan will one day score.  Like Mikel, Jonathan is playing well, but he needs to score.

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