I came to Je­sus long ago,
All laden down with sin,
I sought Him long for pardoning grace;
He would not take me in.
At last I found the reason why
As light came more and more;
I had a shelf with idols on
Just in behind the door.

Refrain

That shelf behind the door—
Don’t use it any more;
But quickly clean that corner out
From ceiling to the floor;
For Je­sus wants His temple clean,
He cannot bless you more,
Unless you take those idols out
From in behind the door.

I tore it down and threw it out,
And then the blessing came;
But e’er I got the vic­to­ry
And felt the holy flame,
Beelzebub came rushing up
And said with awful roar,
You cannot live without a shelf
Right here behind the door.

Refrain

So many people of today
Are destitute of power;
’Tis plain to see they cannot stand
Temptation’s trying hour.
By way of an apology
My weakness is their cry;
’Tis all because of idols they
Are using on the sly.

Refrain

Some smoke and chew tobacco, and
Some love their fancy dress;
Others have wronged their fellow men,
Refusing to confess.
They wonder why they are not blest
As in the days of yore;
The reason why is on the shelf
Just in behind the door.

Refrain

That little shelf behind the door
Will cause you much distress;
Especially about the time
You think of being blest.
While pleading for the vic­to­ry
Before the Lord in prayer,
How many times you think about
The idols hidden there.

Refrain

Your soul is dark, you surely know
You have no peace with God;
You daily tremble lest you feel
The chastening of His rod.
The blessèd Ho­ly Spi­rit puts
This question o’er and o’er:
What are you going to do about
This shelf behind the door?

Refrain

You need not go to foreign lands
To find a household god,
To look upon idolatry
You need not go a rod,
But in this land where Gos­pel light
Is shining all around,
If you should look behind the door
An idol could be found.

Refrain

Some hypocrites may look like saints—
From men their idols hide;
But what about the judg­ment day
Beyond death’s fearful tide?
That hidden spot behind the door
Will be a public place
Where God and men and angels, too,
Shall every idol trace.

Refrain