I received a new toy for my birthday last year. My wife was gracious enough to allow me one more gadget to add to my collection of hunting stuff. After all, the more stuff that goes into the backpack, the more enjoyable it is to hunt.

This new gadget is a Garmin hand-held GPS. It is simply amazing how much technology is crammed into such a small package.

A few years ago, the technology contained inside the little blue case was reserved for only the military. Civilians could only dream about the miracle of the global positioning system. According to the specifications of my unit, it is accurate to within about 16 yards. It has the ability to mark “waypoints,” then navigate back to that point.

It can also leave a “bread trail” so I can retrace my steps and not get lost in the woods. It can give the total distance traveled, the time it took to traverse a course, along with longitude, latitude and elevation numbers.

In short, it is very impressive, and way too complicated to use without a lot of serious reading of the owner’s manual.

The unit will pick up the signal from up to 12 satellites that are located in the sky above the earth, locked into a geosynchronous orbit.

I can deny all day long there are no satellites in the heavens. I can deny all day long that there are no rockets that are launched to carry these satellites hundreds of miles into our atmosphere.

I can deny the facts, but I cannot deny the evidence that presents itself every time I power up my GPS unit and watch it lock onto the signal that is produced by these satellites.

I cannot deny the data that is produced by these signals that guide me along any path that I choose to take.

People can deny the power of God, but it is as real as the signal from a satellite hundreds of miles above the earth.

The power that is present from God can guide my life daily in the path that I need to walk.

If I turn my life over to a force that I cannot see with my eyes and feel with my hands, he will lead me in the direction I need to go so that I am not lost.

If I trust in the one who sees the end from the beginning, he will lead me and guide me in the paths that I need to walk in order to be successful in my life on earth.