Many are inquiring, “ How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?” You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. T…
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."
Both passages discuss the struggle between the will to do good and the inability to perform it due to the flesh/sinful nature. EGW expands on the solution to this problem.
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
Both passages discuss yielding oneself as a servant, either to sin or to obedience/righteousness. The EGW passage speaks of surrendering the will, which aligns with the concept of yielding oneself as a servant.
"Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians. SC 47.2"
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Both passages emphasize that good intentions or desires alone are insufficient for salvation. Matthew 7:21 highlights the necessity of doing God's will, while the EGW quote stresses the importance of yielding one's will to God and actively choosing to be a Christian.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Both passages address the idea that something more than just an internal feeling or belief is required. James 2:26 uses the analogy of a body without a spirit being dead to illustrate that faith without works is also dead. The EGW quote similarly states that desires for goodness and holiness are insufficient without yielding to God's will, implying that action is necessary.