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I'm sure my mouth gaped as the young wife verbally assaulted her husband. She screamed poisonous, vindictive words at him an octave above her normal level. Although previously she had confessed these violent episodes, I assumed she had exaggerated. Now I witnessed the full force of their fury.

"You're a liar. You've been scheming with other women to commit adultery!" she shrieked. "And you're trying to turn Pastor Wayne against me! I hate you!"

I let her rage for half a minute, hoping the anger would spend itself, but it only intensified. I'm not one to immediately assume demonic influence. But now I felt we had to probe the possibility directly—her violence was so strong, the charges so irrational, the anger so deep.

First I had to break through the turbulence. I cupped my hands over my lips and silently mouthed the words, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to stop." I didn't say it loud enough for me to hear, much less her.

But something heard!

In mid-sentence her scream halted. She whirled from her husband and faced me head on. An icy stare chilled my soul. Her face twisted into a mocking scowl.

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She laughed. In a tone as vile as any witch concocted by Hollywood, her laugh filled every corner of the room. It went on and on, lasting well over 15 seconds. Every hair on my skin stood erect. I groped for something to do or say. Finally, the laughter stopped, and there we sat, our eyes locked. I remember thinking, This must be what a wolf looks like before it attacks.

I really hate moments like that.

I prefer calm pastoral counseling sessions that send smiling Christians on their way knowing a little more about God and feeling better about themselves. And that's generally the case. On rare occasions, however, as I deal with troubled people, I detect some problems that run deeper than human psychosis. There are powers of darkness that oppress or possess them. And that shouldn't surprise me. Jesus confronted demonic power throughout his ministry, as did the early church.

But how do I deal with it? It seems Hollywood writes more about demons and exorcism than do serious scholars in the church. Exorcism scares up an image of a priest holding a crucifix over a contorted face.

Well, I didn't try that with the angry wife, but we did have success.

I first met Bob and Judy (not their real names) after a Sunday morning service. They had come on the recommendation of a friend. Two weeks later Judy called, "Wayne, could I come and see you this afternoon? Our marriage is falling apart. I need some help."

She came, and we talked. Two years previously they had heard the gospel through a well-known pastor who visited our community. But they never established themselves in a local church or found an effective faith.

Bob, a corporation vice president, lost his job when the parent company closed its Visalia plant. His large salary gone, he struggled through 18 months of unemployment before finding a $12,000-a-year job managing a struggling manufacturing plant.

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