In John Bunyan’s sequel to his timeless classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, he presents a seemingly impossible paradox: it is both easier to be lost and easier to be saved! It is easier to be lost because it requires no effort on anyone’s part in order to be lost. Everyone naturally inclines to do what is wrong because everyone is born with a sinful nature. Therefore, it is a very easy and natural thing to just “go with the flow” and be lost.
At the same time, it is easier to be saved
Because the way of the transgressor is hard. He has neither moral compass nor voice from heaven saying “this is the way, walk ye in it.” . . . ‘Tis easy to be saved because . . . [Yahushua] paid the price of salvation for us. He has taken our suffering and given us His peace. He has exchanged our weakness for His strength, . . . our sin for His righteousness. As Isaiah hath said, “With His stripes we are healed.”1
Yahuwah respects everyone’s right to freedom of choice. He will not force anyone to accept salvation. Because all are born with a natural tendency to do wrong, if anyone does not actively choose to be saved, he or she will, by default, be lost.
Many people will be lost while desiring to be saved. Such individuals did not submit to the purifying, refining process that would have molded them into the divine image, fit candidates for Heaven. They desired the gift of never-ending life, but not a personal relationship with the Life-giver. The daily surrenders that are required of all who would gain eternal life, were resisted and the work of transformation remained at the surface only. It did not penetrate to the very recesses of the heart, mind and soul.
If you want to inherit eternal life, it will cost you everything. It will require commitment to your goal and a willingness to sacrifice anything else that stands in your way. However, salvation and eternal life cannot be “attained” by anything you do. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of [Elohim]: not of works [effort, margin] lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9)2
The free gift of salvation can be obtained only through continual surrender of self. Rather than a step-by-step process of attainment, working your way up to Heaven, it is a step-by-step process downward to full and total 
surrender. Each day becoming less and less in your own eyes, as your attention is centered ever more fully on the Saviour. The process of daily surrender of your will to the higher will of your Maker will leave you no room to boast. But it is a vital necessity if you would be saved.
It is here that many people struggle to understand the science of salvation. Having felt wonderful feelings of joy and peace when they first accepted the Saviour, too many people assume “once saved always saved.” Others make a different mistake: they are tempted to feel that unless they feel all those nice, warm, fuzzy feelings we all enjoy feeling, than they are lost.
Neither is true. Yah will never force the will. A person saved one day can always, at a later date, change his/her mind. None will be saved against their will. At the same time, good feelings or the lack thereof, are no indication of either salvation or of being lost. Good feelings are Yahuwah’s gift to give. Your part is to claim the promises by faith every day as you surrender yourself to Him. “Faith is yours to exercise as the gift of [Yahuwah]. You need not fluctuate between hope and fear and despondency. Be assured that as you approach [Yahuwah], you will as surely know that He is drawing nigh unto you, to nourish, and encourage, and enrich your soul.”3
The best time to make a full surrender to your Maker is first thing in the morning when you wake up. At the beginning of the day, when the mind is clear and uncluttered with the business of the day, set aside time to spend with Yahuwah.
Consecrate yourself to [Yahuwah] in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, “Take me, O [Yahuwah], as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.” This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to [Yahuwah] for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of [Yahuwah], and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of [Yahushua].4
If you cannot remember to do this first thing, ask Yahuwah to help you. The best way to have a mind that turns to Yahuwah first thing in the morning is to be thinking of Him and praying to Him the last thing at night. As you are falling asleep, commit yourself to Yah again. Thank Him for His watch care throughout the day and the many blessings you received from Him. This will help your mind to be in tune with the Creator from the very first waking moments because the mind naturally tends to go to the thoughts it had when it went to sleep.
There are five basic areas which you need to surrender to Yahuwah every day. These are:
Begin your prayer by praising Yahuwah. Not only does this glorify Him, but the gratitude you will feel upon remembering His past goodness will strengthen your faith to ask for current needs.
The surrender of the will is arguably the most important thing you can do in cooperating with Yahuwah for the salvation of your soul. It is in the surrender of the will that most people fail of understanding the part they are to play in cooperation with Yahuwah.
Many are inquiring, “How am I to make the surrender of myself to [Yahuwah]?” 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 [Yahuwah] 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 [Yahuwah] has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to [Yahuwah] 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. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of [Yahushua]; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.
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 [Yahuwah]. They do not now choose to be Christians.
Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to [Yahushua], you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to [Yahuwah] you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.5
Satan will endeavor to frighten you with the thought that Yahuwah will enslave your will, forcing you to do what you do not want to do. Banish such thoughts. They come from the enemy. Force is a principle of Satan’s kingdom, not Yahuwah’s. Your Father in Heaven sacrificed His Son to guarantee you freedom of choice. He will never force your will. It is up to you to choose whether or not you will surrender your will to Him.
Philippians 2:12 and 13 admonishes all to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is [Elohim] which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Understand that if you do not surrender your will to Yahuwah, it will, by default, be enslaved to Satan’s will.
Few people realize that they have a duty to control their thoughts. A man who does not control his thoughts is more likely to be taken captive to physical passions. Satan will entice him to lust after the women around him. In 
this modern world, when so many women are immodestly dressed, only the man who has surrendered control of his thoughts to Yahuwah will retain control of his mind and his body.
Women, too, must control their thoughts. In the ceaseless round of daily duties, it is a simple thing to allow the mind to wander to daydreaming and unprofitable thoughts. All who allow the mind to simply wander hither and thither are offering open invitations to Satan who is ever ready to suggest impure thoughts and emotions.
When sin is finally acted out in the life, it is the result of a long process beginning with sin in one’s mind first. Finally, corruption within the heart encounters temptation from without and the person falls prey to Satan.
The importance of surrendering even one’s mind to Yahuwah is underscored in 2 Corinthians:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through [Elohim] to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of [Elohim], and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of [Yahushua] . . . . (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5)
At first, controlling one’s thoughts can seem overwhelmingly difficult. But do not give up. As they begin to wander, bring them back into submission to Yahuwah again. He has pledged to help even in this area.
Seek [Yahuwah] while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to [Yahuwah] and He will have mercy on him; and to our [Elohim] for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6, 7, NKJV)
Yahuwah created the higher nature, the frontal lobes of the brain, to control the body. After sin entered, the lower nature, centered at the base of the brain at the back of the skull, took dominance. Rather than a person’s mind controlling his lusts, desires and appetites, letting reason dictate his actions, the lusts, desires and appetites of the lower nature now drove him and controlled his actions.
As with the will and the mind, it is important to surrender your body to Yahuwah on a daily basis. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [Elohim], and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify [Yahuwah] in your body and in your spirit, which are [Yahuwah’s].” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, NKJV)
Regardless of the temptations, if you have surrendered your will and your body to the Saviour, He will give you all the power needed to overcome. You can be more than conqueror through Him who has loved you. (See Romans 8:31-37.) “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but [Elohim] is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Yahushua was tempted in every area that you have been – and more! He knows the strength of the temptation facing you and just the amount of divine help to send in your battle for victory. In His strength, you may:
Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto [Elohim], which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect, will of [Elohim]. (Romans 12:1,2)
Time is not something people usually think of as being something to surrender to Yahuwah. But time is a precious gift. Everyone has wasted time but the nearness of Yahushua’s Second Coming brings a solemnity to all endeavors. Every day that passes, is one day closer to the end; one day less of probationary time.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of [Yahuwah] is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
As you surrender your time to Yahuwah, He will guide and direct you. Not only will He lead you in the way that is in your best interests, but He will also lead you as you would choose for yourself if you could see the future as He can. He has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8)
You will find your greatest happiness and most lasting success when you surrender your time to Yahuwah. The work accomplished under His direction will bring rewards that reach into eternity because Yahuwah will bless all your efforts and give an abundant increase! (See 1 Corinthians 3:6.) Therefore,
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21, NKJV)
Many people mistakenly refer to tithe as “paying it.” In actuality, as the Creator, everything belongs to Yahuwah. He has graciously allowed us to use 9/10ths of everything He has given. All He asks is 1/10 in return.
But surrendering your money to Yahuwah encompasses far more than returning tithe. It is dedicating the funds you have available to use as He directs. There is no danger in this because He knows what you need and has pledged to provide for all your needs. (See Matthew 6:24-34.) Furthermore, it is impossible to out-give Yahuwah! He has supplied your money. Surrender its use to Him. As He guides in the use of it, you will find that He takes care of His own.
Money carries with it the responsibility of being a wise steward of it so that if one of Yahuwah’s children has a need that He lays upon your heart to meet, you will be in a position to do so. “He who has pity on the poor lends to [Yahuwah], And He will pay back what he has given.” (Proverbs 19:17, NKJV)
Surrendering your money to Yahuwah provides the greatest financial security you could hope for because He knows the future. If you wish to spend your money a certain way but first surrender that desire to Him, He will protect your interests. Because He knows the future, He can impress you not to spend your money a certain way if, in a few days a greater need will arise for which you will need the money more.
As you surrender each area to your loving Father, trusting in His love and wisdom, do four things:
Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before [Yahuwah]. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His
children. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds. He rules over all the affairs of the universe.
Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel . . . The relations between [Yahuwah] and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.6
Lay all your burdens on Yahuwah. He is the great burden bearer. Receive His comforting peace and joy, His wisdom and power.
Consciously choose to surrender control of everything in that particular area of your life to Yahuwah. Put it into words.
Quote the Bible texts that are applicable to your situation. The promises are for all who live in obedience, surrendering to Him. They are for you. Claim them!
Trust in [Yahuwah] with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5, 6, NKJV)
Do not worry or give into doubt if at first you do not seem to receive much guidance in your prayer times. Your prayer is heard, not because you feel that it is heard, but because He has promised to listen. There is tremendous power in prayer and if you pray, He will listen and answer. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in [Yahushua], who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1, NKJV)
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of [Elohim].
What then shall we say to these things? If [Yahuwah] be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:26-27, 31, NKJV)
Rest in the assurance of His love and watch care. Invite Him to go with you throughout your day. Know that you are accepted in the Beloved – not because of any goodness in you, but because He is good, and He has promised to accept you.
1 Christiana: The New Amplified Pilgrim’s Progress, Part II, p. 178
2 All Scripture verses are taken from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
3 E. G. White, Manuscript Releases, Vol. XIV, p. 276.
4 White, Steps to Christ, p. 70.
5 Ibid., pp. 47-48.
6 Ibid., p. 100