There is only one place where a guilty sinner should look in order to find peace with God and peace in His heart: the blood of Jesus Christ. "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20). This is the foundation of peace and this is the basis for our acceptance with a holy God. Our Substitute has rendered to divine justice all that God in His righteousness required for our salvation. God can expect no more and our hearts want no more! We look to Christ and find peace!
You can be sure that the moment you take your eyes off the Lord Jesus and look for peace somewhere else, you will find no peace at all. There is the natural temptation to observe the work of the Spirit in us instead of the work of Christ for us, as the foundation of our peace. We bless the Name of the Spirit of grace who brought us to see our sinfulness and need of a Savior. The Spirit regenerated us using the Word of the Gospel, but we do not look to His work within us as the basis of our hope. We look to the work of Christ alone as all of our hope of acceptance with God. It is the blood of Christ that cleanses; it is the blood of Christ that makes atonement; it is the blood of Christ that puts away guilt; it is the blood of Christ that gives me a title to eternal glory! Resting in Christ I have peace in my heart all is well with God. But the moment I look within to see something to give me hope and peace, that is the very moment I lose hope and peace. I am persuaded the reason many seem to have such doubts and fears about their relationship to God is because they insist upon looking within themselves for peace, instead of looking outside themselves, to the perfect sacrifice of Christ. My acceptance with God is never based upon what I perceive, what I experience, or what I feel. It is always based upon the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The sooner we learn that, the quicker we will enjoy the sweet and blissful peace of assurance."