If you think long enough, childhood memories from a scary place will trigger fear. Whether you grew up in the country, city or suburbs, every neighborhood had at least one area, house or place where a presence of darkness was felt. For me and my friends, it was a forest where strange things regularly occurred.
My first encounter there involved snakes, like the movie Snakes on Planes. Located a couple of hundred yards from my house, a dense forest possessed a short cut to my favorite arcade. When the path wasn’t trimmed back, you had to walk in Namaans Creek to avoid sticker bushes. On this particular day, a snake swam between my legs, another fell out of a tree right above my head and a third I nearly stepped on, slithering right in front of me. Whether I entered a haunted forest or not, this was the first of several experiences which brought chills and goosebumps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldXdymGCShg
According to Asaph, dark places do exist, Psalm 74:20. These signs are obvious with violence being the major factor. You don’t have to live in the projects to witness such a place. Somewhere along the way, the devil, demons and dark powers have established a foothold in these arenas of life, Ephesians 4:27. If and when you stumble across such a place, remember to arm yourself with the right weapons, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Until then, take the apostle Paul’s advice in Ephesians 6:10-12, putting on the armor of God as a canvas of protection from dark places.
by Jay Mankus