New year and new beginnings, according to Pastor Greg Laurie, present an exciting opportunity to think what the future might bring. But as always, God is in charge of everything that will happen, he said.

"As we look ahead to another year, we wonder what it will hold. I don't know what the year holds, but I do know who holds the year. I know that God is in control," Laurie wrote on his blog. "This year may bring promise, and it may bring pain. It may bring triumph, and it may bring tragedy... But I enter into this year like every year: with great hope in God because I know that he is on the throne and is in control of all things, including our lives."

God always has a plan for everything, said Laurie, and the only problem is that people often view things from a limited perspective. People only see the immediate view while God already sees the ultimate.

Because of this, it is a good idea for people to constantly re-evaluate what they are doing in their lives. He said people should ask themselves: "Is this a wing, or is it a weight? Is it speeding me on my way in the race of life, or is it slowing me down?"

Laurie said people might be "crippled by past failures, past sins" as well as laden down by regrets. But the only thing bad about these is if people keep repeating them.

"Learn from your mistakes and fail forward. Don't keep doing the same foolish things again and again. Forget them and put them behind you," he urged his readers. "There are times when the temptations are strong or the obstacles are great, and you wonder whether you can go on another day. The answer is yes, you can. Press on."

Whatever people might have done in 2015, the good news, he said, is that God is always open for second chances. "Make a commitment or recommitment to him," he said.