Provoke deity enclosing area (4)
I believe the answer is:
goad
'provoke' is the definition.
(I know that goad is a more specific form of the action provoke)
'deity enclosing area' is the wordplay.
'deity' becomes 'god' (a deity is a god or divine being).
'enclosing' is an insertion indicator.
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'god' placed around 'a' is 'GOAD'.
(Other definitions for goad that I've seen before include "Spur, urge on" , "Provoke, spur" , "that provides motivation" , "Cattle prod" , "Spur; torment" .)