Now, this definition still leaves us somewhat confused. This is helpful, but we still need more. The Old Testament comes to our rescue and helps us out tremendously. The first two words, reins and kidneys, conjure up very graphic pictures of the importance and the significance of what our minds are. Reins control, lead and direct action.
Reins guide and make a horse do what the rider wants.
Years ago, when I was learning to ride with my girls, our trainer put us on a horse that had no reins at all, just a wire around his neck. The horse literally went in circles. He didn't know what we wanted him to do or where we wanted him to go, because we weren't telling or showing him. That's why it's so very critical to allow the Holy Spirit within us to be the reins by which God continually restrains, guides and controls us. Our minds are not just our brain, our conscious thoughts, or our intellect, but a whole conceptual process that begins with the spirit and ends with our life actions.