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 encourage)
'deity enclosing area' is the wordplay.
'deity' becomes 'god' (a deity is a god or divine being).
'enclosing' indicates putting letters inside.
'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" .)